PPM-Super Bowl

 It is time for the end of the PPM as the Super Bowl concludes the football season!

Last Week: 2-0

Overall: 169-81

Super Bowl

Seattle over New England 24-13

PPM

  The college season is over, and we move to the NFL's conference finals to determine who will be playing in the Super Bowl! 

Last Week: 4-1 

Overall: 167-81

AFC Championship

New England over Denver 24-14

NFC Championship 

Seattle over Los Angeles 37-35

 

PPM

   The collegiate game decides a national champion, and the NFL showcases its best weekend of the year!

Last Week: 4-2  

Overall: 163-80

College

Indiana over Miami 32-27

NFL

Seahawks over 49ers 24-17

Rams over Bears 38-33

Bills over Broncos 27-22

Patriots over Texans 17-14

 

PPM

   The NFL postseason arrives with six playoff games over three days!

Last Week: 3-4

Overall: 159-78

AFC
Patriots over Chargers 24-21

Bills over Jaguars 35-33

Texans over Steelers 20-17

NFC

Packers over Bears 31-29

Eagles over 49ers 27-21

Rams over Panthers 35-17

Garrett breaks record in Browns winning finale

     Myles Garrett got the sack that he needed to set his record, the Cleveland Browns' defense scored the team's only two touchdowns, the Cincinnati Bengals missed two extra points, and Andre Szymt kicked two 49-yard extra points.

All of that occurred before Szymt kicked a 49-yard field goal on the last play of the game to give the Cleveland Browns a 20-18 win in Cincinnati, the final game of the Kevin Stefanski era, if not the Andrew Berry era, in Cleveland.

Devin Bush grabbed a tipped Joe Burrow pass and ran ninety-seven yards for one touchdown, and Sam Webb ran fifty-three yards after recovering a Noah Fant fumble for the other Browns touchdown.

The Browns finish with a record of 5-12 and will return for the 2026 season with a new head coach.

Brownie Bits

1) It took until the fourth quarter, but Myles Garrett did get the one sack that he needed to set a new NFL record for sacks in a season.

The Bengals did an excellent job keeping Garrett off Joe Burrow until the record-setting sack, when Garrett was able to get off the line with an incredible jump, and Burrow had no way to avoid Garrett.

2) I was interested to hear that Michael Strahan commented that his was the real record because he did it in sixteen, not seventeen games.

Strahan is right that his task was accomplished in fewer games, but the NFL used to play twelve and then fourteen before Strahan's day of sixteen games, and I don't remember him complaining about that.

The record is the record for most in a season until the NFL decides to have a record for 12, 14, or 16 game seasons.

3) Shedeur Sanders's day wasn't very impressive as the rookie lostt a fumble and was fortunate to finish without an interception as the Bengals dropped two that should have been caught.

Sanders finished with a paltry 111 yards and was sacked six times.

4) Sanders did come through on the final drive, as he led the Browns into position for Andre Szymt's game winning boot, twice converting third downs with ten plus yard completions.

Sanders has been a mixed bag in his start, he did win three of his starts (Raiders, Steelers, and Bengals) but didn't really stand out in any of them.

5) Shedeur Sanders played well enough to be in the mix for the starting job in training camp but not well enough to hand him the top job.

I saw some things I liked and some I didn't, so consider me unsold but not on a permanent basis.

6) You have to be happy for Andre Szymt who came full circle after missing a field goal against these same Bengals that would have won the season opener, only to beat the Bengals with a field goal in the final game of the season.

Szymt finished the season twenty-four of twenty-seven on field goal attempts and proved me wrong when I wanted him released after the opener.

7) Cincinnati kicker Evan McPherson is usually one of the better booters in the league.

McPherson had missed only one extra point all season but in this one, McPherson missed two extra points in a game that Cleveland won by two.

8) The Bengals scored the first touchdown (Evan McPherson missed the XP) and appeared to be ready to go up by two touchdowns when Shelby Harris stuck up his hand to deflect a Joe Burrow pass into the hands of Devin Bush, who ran ninety-seven yards for the score.

Harris has always brought a knack for deflections as a defender and in blocking kicks and if the veteran doesn't return, that ability will be missed.

9) The Browns made life tough on Andre Szymt as he had to kick forty-nine yard extra points twice as both Devin Bush and Sam Webb were flagged for excessive celebrations as both dived into the end zone untouched on their scores.

I can excuse Bush's penalty a little but after seeing that call, Webb's penalty was really mindless.

10) The Browns will pick 6th in the first round and the win over the Bengals didn't hurt their position thanks to Washington's win over Philadelphia.

Had Washington lost that game, the Browns would have selected seventh.

11) Final note: The Browns won their final two games.

Had they lost both games, they would have selected first as they would have won the tiebreaker with the other three win teams.

Browns Fire Kevin Stefanski, Keep Andrew Berry

   I'll be reviewing the Browns' win in Cincinnati later, as the bigger news came on "Black Monday" with the Cleveland Browns firing head coach Kevin Stefanski and deciding to keep general manager Andrew Berry.

Stefanski, as has been noted ad nauseam, won two Coach of the Year awards and took the Browns to two playoff berths, along with one playoff victory when they won in Pittsburgh during the Covid era.

However, the Browns won just eight games in the last two seasons, including two meaningless games at the end of this season, and Stefanski's offenses struggled badly since the team fired offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt in an attempt to tailor the offense to the then-starting quarterback, DeShaun Watson.

Stefanski's mantra of "Tough, Smart, and Accountable" slowly frittered away as a team consistently committed stupid penalties ( including Stefanski's final game that saw two touchdowns tagged with excessive celebrations that forced Andre Szymt to make two 49-yard extra points), and generally played undisciplined football and rarely paid any type of price for it.

Stefanski's Achilles heel was his inability to work with quarterbacks, which is confusing considering his arrival from Minnesota was heralded with Stefanski's reputation as a quarterback guru.

Stefanski was unable to revive Baker Mayfield's early success, struggled to connect with DeShaun Watson, his belief in rookie Dillon Gabriel proved to be unfounded, appeared reluctant to give Shedeur Sanders a chance despite Gabriel's struggles, before he was forced to play Sanders after an injury to Gabriel.

Stefanski finished his Browns tenure with a record of 45-56, a record that took a serious dip in his final two seasons after finishing those years with a slate of 8-26.

Stefanski won't be unemployed for very long, as it's been reported that he will interview for at least three teams with head coaching vacancies (Giants, Falcons, and Titans), and was rumored during the season to be the top choice to become the Philadelphia Eagles' offensive coordinator, if he was not hired for a head coaching position.

As for Andrew Berry, the man who built a flawed squad without investing in skilled players to help any of the questionable quarterbacks he provided, he managed to retain his position as general manager due to his first solid draft in the six drafts he oversaw.

While I credit Berry with a solid draft that shines compared to his five previous attempts, with the additions of three or four potential stars (Carson Schwesinger, Harold Fannin, Quinshon Judkins, and Mason Graham), even in that draft, Berry wasted a third rounder on Dillon Gabriel.

Berry has made more errors than I list, even before the DeShaun Watson debacle, with ridiculous extensions to Jerry Juedy and Dustin Hopkins, to name a few, awful drafts that included selecting Jedrick Wills, now out of football, over perennial All-Pro Tristan Wirfs as the Browns' left tackle for the decade, and each time the Browns drafted a wide receiver or offensive lineman, they went bust or below average at best.

Berry drafted Grant Delpit and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah before the possibly career-ending neck injury to JOK.Outside of those two players, Berry's picks made average to no impact for the Browns.

Berry has especially struggled in picking players at three positions: quarterback, wide receiver, and offensive linemen, which are the team's biggest needs in April's draft, and it gives me anxiety with Berry picking these positions.

I plan a deeper dive into the Andrew Berry-led personnel decisions in the future, but when you consider his picks at quarterback (Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders), wide receiver (Anthony Schwartz, David Bell, Michael Woods, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash), and offensive line (Jedrick Wills, Nick Harris, James Hudson, Dawson Deaton, Dawand Jones, Luke Wypler, Zac Zinter), it's easy to see my concern.

To be fair, only Jedric Wills was picked in the first two rounds, and some of these picks have been hampered by injury throughout their career, such as Cedric Tillman and Dawand Jones.  Berry hasn't been able to land even an average player who starts with consistency at these positions.

When you add in arguably the worst trade in football history, his bungling of the salary cap, and his drafting limitations before 2025, it's fair to question how Berry kept his job.

A narrative of supporters of Kevin Stefanski was that Stefanski deserved the chance to return with his own quarterback, and they often pointed to the lack of offensive talent on the Browns.

The man in charge of building those units was Andrew Berry, and he is being given a mulligan for his mistakes.

I don't feel sorry for Kevin Stefanski. The time was right for him to leave Cleveland.

The problem is that the creator of this roster mess is allowed to stay and continue in his "roster building".

Kevin Stefanski wasn't screwed by losing his job.

Kevin Stefanski was screwed by the Haslams and the Browns, who chose him as the scapegoat as the person most responsible for the disaster that is the Cleveland Browns.

That person kept his job.

I'll be working on the Browns' win over Cincinnati later, and the Andrew Berry deep dive will be coming very soon.

Thanks for reading this extra-long post.

One missed block, one missed boot costs Buckeyes in Cotton Bowl defeat

    The Ohio State Buckeyes missed execution on a few key plays, and it was too much to overcome against a well-prepared Miami Hurricanes team, who upset the Buckeyes 24-14 in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.

Julian Sayin finished with 287 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, with Jeremiah Smith catching seven passes for 157 yards and a touchdown.

Ohio State ends its season with a 12-2 record and will start its 2026 season in September at home against Ball State.

Olentangy Offerings

1) The one missed block came in the first half when a play developed in slow motion (it seemed) as Julian Sayin attempted a screen pass.

Jeremiah Smith didn't block his man, so Kelonte Scott shot through to grab the lob and race seventy-two yards for the score that Ohio State never really recovered from.

2) Watching the replay. It's hard to see whether Smith missed the block or just thought he could get away with minimal contact.

Either way, that missed block set the tone for the remainder of the game.

3) The first half saw the Buckeye offense struggle until the final drive of the half, and Jayden Fielding trotted onto the field for his first field goal attempt since his catastrophic short miss against Indiana in the Big Ten title game.

Forty-nine yards is hardly a chip shot, especially for a college kicker, but you need your kicker to come through when needed, especially when 14-3 and some momentum would have meant so much compared to 14-0.

Fielding missed.

4) Another underrated play of note happened in the final quarter when punter Joe McGuire smashed a fifty-three-yard punt and forced a Hurricane fair catch at their own eleven.

This would have been a great chance for Ohio State, then trailing 17-14, to get a stop and the ball back for a potential winning drive.

Ohio State was called for illegal formation, McGuire's second punt traveled twenty yards less, and Miami started at their own thirty-one instead.

5) Ryan Day needs to re-evaluate the program's acquisitions of kickers and punters because, far too often in recent years, the kicking game in Columbus has come up short against good teams.

I know the theory against using scholarships, etc., on kickers who so seldom make a difference during the season at powerful programs, but they can make a tremendous difference in big games and often cost one.

6) And sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way.

In the third quarter, Miami's Malachi Toney took a tremendous lick from Caleb Downs, causing him to fumble.

However, the ball bounced right back into the arms of a stumbling Toney, who recovered the ball and allowed Miami to kick a field goal on the next play.

Honestly, that might have been the biggest play in the game, as a turnover would have resulted in three fewer points for the Canes and kept momentum rolling for Ohio State, who had scored their first touchdown on the previous drive.

7) On the final scoring drive of the game, when Ohio State needed a stop, it was the Hurricane offensive line that made the difference as they physically pounded the Buckeye defense with their running game.

Miami moved seventy yards and threw the ball only twice on the drive that put the game in the Miami column.

8) The offensive line struggled to keep the Miami pass rush off Julian Sayin, especially in the first half.

Miami does have two defensive linemen who are expected to be high first-rounders (Reuben Bain and Akheem Mesidor) in the NFL Draft, and the Buckeyes did a better job protecting Sayin in the second half. The Hurricanes sacked Sayin five times, equalling Indiana's sack haul against Ohio State.

9) Now we head to the silly season of the transfer portal, where the Buckeyes will bring in players and lose others.

Ohio State will lose several defensive starters, and especially the back seven will take its share of new arrivals.

Face it, the bottom third of the roster is going to churn over constantly in the new world of college football, and whether we like it or not, college football has changed, and Ohio State has to be prepared to change with it.

10) I'm disappointed with the end of the season, but I'd grade it as an average season.

Had you asked me before the season if I would take two regular-season losses, a CFP berth, and a dominating win over Michigan if offered?

I would have.

Remember, Texas and Penn State were regarded as top-five teams entering the season, and losses to each of those teams weren't out of the realm of possibility, so I would have taken the offer.

Still, losing the final two games was a bit galling, I can't lie, but I've felt worse at the end of seasons.

11) Watch for the CFP to move to sixteen teams without byes.

I don't blame rust for the defeat to Miami, who outplayed OSU and deserved the win, but it's fair to wonder if that will change after seven of the eight teams that received byes in the first two years of the CFP were defeated.

I'm okay with sixteen, although there will be even more non-competitive first-round games. However, I would prefer that the first two rounds be held at campus locations.

I'm not sure if the current contract for the playoffs would allow so many non-neutral games, but that's my hope.

PPM

 The final week of the NFL season is here, and the college playoff is down to a surprising final four.

Last Week: 2-6 

Overall: 156-74

College Playoffs

Ole Miss over Miami 31-27

Indiana over Oregon 26-19

NFL
Bengals over Browns 22-17

Falcons over Saints 24-17

Games of the Week

Seahawks over 49ers 37-35

Panthers over Buccaneers 29-28

Ravens over Steelers 20-14

Browns stop Steelers 13-6

   The Cleveland Browns scored ten points on their first two drives and hung on for dear life for the rest of the game to score a 13-6 upset of the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cleveland.

Harold Fannin caught a twenty-eight yard pass from Shedeur Sanders for the game's only touchdown and Andre Smzyt kicked field goals in both the initial and final quarters to complete the Cleveland scoring.

Shedeur Sanders completed seventeen of twenty-three passes for 186 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions with Jerry Jeudy catching five passes for fifty-four yards to lead the receivers.

Cleveland improved to 4-12 with the win and will finish their season next week in Cincinnati against the Bengals.

Brownie Bits

1) Shedeur Sanderrs was erratic in the win, throwing a very nice pass to Harold Fannin on the game's only touchdown but both of his interceptions were bad throws and while the Browns collected the win, the credit should go to the defense.

2) I'm still torn on Sanders.

I see some good things, poise in the pocket and better than advertised mobility.

However, for a player that was heralded for his accuracy, I see too many passes that get away from him and while this could get better as time moves along, I'm not sure just what the Browns have in Sanders.

3) BUT, I can see Sanders being a servicable starter in the league and maybe even these Browns.

He's certainly better than Dillon Gabriel and unless I fall in love with a quarterback in the draft, I won't have a problem with the Browns going with Sanders as the leader to be the starter in 2026 (I also would like a decent veteran to come in and compete with him).

4) Harold Fannin injured his groin in practice on Friday and was questionable to play at all but was out there in the first quarter to score the only touchdown.

Fannin aggravated the injury on the score and didn't return to the game but Fannin has come a long way since the beginning of the season and in case Fannin sits out next Sunday in Cincinnati, allow me to say this, I think he deserves consideration for the offensive rookie of the year award.

I'm not sure he gets it, but he may deserve it.

5) Myles Garrett didn't get the sack that he needed to break the league record for sacks in a season but he was a major influence on the Steelers tepid offensive outing.

Pittsburgh seemed almost as determined to keep Garrett from setting the record as they were in moving the football.

6) Aaron Rodgers was throwing the ball very quickly (the Browns did sack him twice as Alex Wright and Grant Delpit dumped the veteran) and the Steelers offense reminded me a great deal of the Browns in the way that the offenses worked to avoid sacks to the point of not giving their receivers time to get downfield.

Pittsburgh averaged under five yards per pass in the game.

7) Pittsburgh's receivers were about as good as the Browns without missing starters D.K. Metcalf (suspension) and Calvin Austin (injury), so the Browns didn't have to worry about downfield coverage because it was similar to playing themselves.

8) Pittsburgh was only three for fifteen on third down and were stopped on each of the three times that they attempted to convert on fourth down, including the final two drives.

9) I've liked what I've seen from cornerback Tyson Campbell since he was acquired from Jacksonville.

Campbell played well in this game with several pass breakups and I can see the Browns being pretty satisfied with their end of the deal.

10) Pittsburgh could have clinched the AFC North with a win but their defeat means that their games against Baltimore next week will be the first unofficial playoff game as the winner will be division champion with the loser not playing in the postseason.

11) While I'm disappointed in the Browns drop in draft position with the win, I must admit beating the Steelers, while a long-term hindrance, is nice because losing to them always is awful as I hate seeing Mike Tomlin walk off the field and at his postgame press conference with his condescending sheepish grin, so that's nice.

12) While the future of Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski is in question after next week's game, I bet Mike Tomlin's could be also.

Tomlin has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh but they have been pretty average the last few seasons with late season collapses and early postseason exits.

Should Pittsburgh lose to Baltimore, I could see a parting of the ways with Tomlin having plenty of suitors and the Steelers feeling that it could be time to move on. 

PPM

 I did last week's picks but forgot to post.

Since I've already missed much of bowl season, I won't be picking bowls, but I will continue to select the college playoffs.

Last Week: 5-1 

Overall: 154-68

College Playoffs

Ohio State over Miami 24-13

Texas Tech over Oregon 41-37

Georgia over Ole Miss 27-17

Indiana over Alabama 31-21

NFL
Steelers over Browns 21-10

Titans over Saints 17-13

Games of the week

Bills over Eagles 37-29

Giants over Raiders 13-9

Offense frozen in Chicago, Browns lose 31-3

     The weather was cold at Chicago's Soldier Field, and so was the offense of the Cleveland Browns as the Chicago Bears routed the Browns 31-3.

Shedeur Sanders tossed three interceptions, and the Browns biggest offensive achievement was Sanders' forty-seven-yard toss to Isaiah Bond.

Only Andre Smzyt's fifty-yard field goal allowed the Browns to escape without being shut out.

Cleveland drops to 3-11 with the defeat and will host Buffalo next Sunday.

Brownie Bits

1) Shedeur Sanders struggled with three interceptions, but one was his best thrown ball of the day.

Sanders dropped back and fired a perfect pass to Jerry Jeudy in the end zone, who appeared to have the ball, only to have it stolen by Jaylen Johnson for a touchback.

Unfortunate for Sanders, who did everything right.

2) Otherwise, Sanders struggled as he finished 18 of 35 for 177 yards and the three interceptions.

Sanders shows just enough to keep you wanting to see more, which is more than I can say for Dillon Gabriel, but the jury is still out.

3) Sanders didn't have a ton of time to throw as he was harassed all day by the Bears and was sacked five times.

Sanders didn't have protection in front of him, and it showed against the Bears.

4) Quinshon Judkins finished with only twenty-one yards on twelve carries, and Shedeur Sanders had two scrambles for twenty-four yards, which allowed him to lead the team in rushing.

5) Only Joel Bitonio was on the field for most of the game of the five regular starting offensive linemen, and the makeshift line(as noted above) struggled all day against the Bears, a team not noted for its pass rush or stopping the run, although Chicago is among the best at forcing turnovers.

6) Ethan Pocic suffered an injury and will miss the rest of the season.

2024 draftee Luke Wypler will start in Pocic's spot for the last three games in an audition for the center position next season.

7) Myles Garrett finished with a sack and a half to move within one of the NFL sack record.

The current record is shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt with 22.5.

8) Andre Szymt's fifty-yard field goal was quite a kick in such bitterly cold conditions.

Kicking a ball in that weather is like kicking a brick.

Late thoughts on a Lost Weekend

   A few thoughts on the lost football weekend.

I was away on a trip with our buddy Fred Landucci, so I watched both games with Fred in the hotel, and with the trip, I didn't have the time to write about the games, so here is a quick synopsis.

The Ohio State 13-10 loss to Indiana was one of the better games played all season in the sport, but Ohio State had a few distractions leading up to the game that wouldn't happen in a possible rematch.

Brian Hartline's announced departure for the head coaching job at South Florida, the need to re-recruit the Buckeyes' top-rated recruit, wide receiver Chris Henry Jr., and Penn State's push to interview defensive coordinator Matt Patricia for the head coaching job in State College, all were factors in a lack of focus on a good Hoosiers team.

I don't think those will be a factor in the playoffs, although I am concerned about Brian Hartline, who called a less-than-glittering offensive game against Indiana.

Even with those issues, it took a slip on a fourth and short by Julian Sayin inside the Indiana five and a missed chip shot by Jayden Fielding to lose 13-10.

The Buckeyes still could have won, and I feel good about a prospective rematch.

The referees weren't great; constantly missed holding calls for both teams in the passing game.

I wouldn't say it cost Ohio State the game, but it might have.

As for the Browns, it's all about the Stefanski as the Browns lost to the even worse Tennessee Titans at home 31-29.

I really hate the going for two down 8 thing, and the Browns did just that and then had to go for two to tie when the Browns scored late in the game.

Maybe I'm an old guy, but I'd rather kick the extra point, be down seven, and then have the decision to tie or win with a two-point conversion if needed.

I know that's cutting against the new wave, but that's my thinking.

I did like some of what I saw from Shedeur Sanders, and I'm glad that he'll be starting the rest of the year.

However, before anointing him for the future, remember his good games have come against the Raiders and Titans, who have combined for four wins this season.

I'm very interested to see how he plays in his next three games against teams fighting for playoff position in the Bears, Bills, and Steelers.

PPM

   It's a lighter PPM with the college game starts the bowl season and the NFL season hitting the final month.

Last Week: 7-6 

Overall: 142-62

College

Navy over Army 20-13

LA Bowl 

Boise State over Washington 29-24

Veterans Bowl

Jacksonville State over Troy 30-21

Cure Bowl

South Florida over Old Dominion 41-35

68 Ventures Bowl

Louisiana over Delaware 28-21

XBox Bowl

Arkansas State over Missouri State 27-19

Myrtle Beach Bowl

Western Michigan over Kennesaw State 34-33

Gasparilla Bowl

Memphis over N.C State 27-19

NFL

Bears over Browns 24-10

Panthers over Saints 30-21

Games of the Week

Packers over Broncos 31-24

Bills over Patriots 29-24

PPM

 It's time for the conference championship games, and the NFL enters its final five weeks of its season in the PPM!

Last Week: 10-6 

Season: 135-56 

College

Big Ten Title

Ohio State over Indiana 27-13

Big 12 Title 

Texas Tech over BYU 36-24

SEC Title

Georgia over Alabama 23-21

ACC Title

Virginia over Duke 31-21

Mountain West Title

Boise State over UNLV 34-28

American Title

North Texas over Tulane 41-36

Sun Belt Title

James Madison over Troy 35-17

Conference USA Title

Kennesaw State over Jacksonville State 39-33

MAC Title

Miami Ohio over Western Michigan 28-25

NFL
Browns over Titans 20-10

Buccaneers over Saints 24-15

Games of the Week

Packers over Bears 32-24

Jaguars over Colts 26-21

49ers throttle Browns 26-8

    The Cleveland Browns kept the game close in the first half and even led until the final play of the first half when San Francisco's Matt Gay kicked a field goal for a 10-8 lead by the break.

However, the second half was a different story as San Francisco shut the Browns out on their way to a 26-8 win in Cleveland.

Quinshon Judkins rushed for 91 yards and scored a two-point conversion while Shedeur Sanders threw a touchdown to Harold Fannin in the first start of Sanders' career.

Cleveland drops to 3-9 with the loss and will meet 1-11 Tennessee at home next week, with Sanders meeting fellow rookie quarterback Cam Ward for the first time in what appears to be the most likely chance to win in the Browns' final five games.

Brownie Bits

1) Two key plays destroyed the Browns in the second half.

The first came with the Browns still down only 10-8 in the third quarter.

It's fourth and one on their own 33.

I have no problem going for it here, you are 3-8, try some things.

2) I don't even have an issue with a gadget play, but considering the wind is blowing fiercely, the cold weather, and a little thought should go into that factor.

It's a direct snap to Harold Fannin, who is not a quarterback or running back and not accustomed to catching snaps, let alone in bad weather, so of course, Fannin fumbles.

Eight plays later, San Francisco scores on a Brock Purdy run.

3) Then in the fourth quarter, Cleveland forces a punt, still down only 17-8, but it's fumbled by Gage Larvadain at the Browns eighteen and recovered by San Francisco.
Six plays later- touchdown.

4) The coverage unit allowed a sixty-six-yard punt return to Skyy Moore, and Malachi Corley caught a kickoff at the ten while he fell out of bounds, rather than allow the ball to go out of bounds.

Yet, Bubba Ventrone still gets a pass on the constant mistakes from his units.

I don't believe firing him now would make a difference, but Ventrone cannot return next season.

5) Shedeur Sanders made his first start and threw a touchdown without an interception.

Sanders is handicapped by lousy receivers as Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel were but he managed to avoid the big mistake, even at the expense of only moving the ball on one occasion.

6) On that one occasion, Shedeur Sanders showed a glimpse of what he could be with an excellent throw to Harold Fannin, who dragged two defenders into the end zone.

It was the only throw of the day that made you think and hope of a possible future.

7) Sanders also overthrew an open Jerry Jeudy in the first quarter for what would have been a likely touchdown.

The two had a salty exchange on the sidelines during the game and there needs to be some work on the  "chemistry" between the rookie and the veteran, both of whom have had their rocky points this season.

8) The Browns wasted another good effort from their defense as the three 49ers touchdowns came on drives of sixteen, eighteen, and thirty-two yards.

I don't care how good your defense is, when you have to defend the short field all day, scores are going to happen.

9) Cleveland's defense took a shot with the loss of  defensive tackle Maliek Collins, who had been having an excellent season and the injury looked pretty serious.

Losing Collins and his play up the middle would be a major setback for a defense that has carried this team all season.

10) The Browns offensive line hasn't been great this season but I was surprised to see Kevin Stefanski rotate Wyatt Teller and Tevin Jenkins at guard from series to series.

Of the possible veterans that are able to leave next season (Jack Conklin, Ethan Pocic, Teller, and Joel Bitonio, who may retire), Teller would be my choice as the one to keep, if I had to choose one.

I'm wondering why the decision was made and could it hurt the chances of keeping Teller for 2026?

11) The Browns should beat an even worse Tennesssee team (one win) at home next week.

But what if they don't?

The Titans aren't as good as the Browns and should Cleveland somehow lose this game, this will be another three win season as I don't see them winning any of their final four games against three playoff contenders (Bears, Bills, Steelers) and on the road against the Bengals and the returning Joe Burrow.

In my opinion, if the Browns lose at home to the Titans, Andrew Berry and Kevin Stefanski will have sealed their eventual fate.

All is Well! Ohio State bullies Michigan 27-9

      Well, all is well in my world for the first time since 2021 as the Ohio State Buckeyes put things in their proper place with a dominating 27-9 win over the Michigan Wolverines in their snowy home in Ann Arbor.

Julian Sayin threw three touchdown passes, including a fifty-yard strike to Carnell Tate, Bo Jackson rushed for 117 yards, and the Ohio State defense never allowed the Wolverines to reach the end zone, holding them to three field goals, all in the first half.

Ohio State caps an undefeated regular season at 12-0 (9-0 Big Ten) and will play the other unbeaten team in the conference and country in the Big Ten Championship game next Saturday, meeting Indiana in Indianapolis.

Olentangy Offerings

1) I must admit, I was a little concerned when Michigan scored three points on their first drive, and then picked off Julian Sayin shortly thereafter to give them the ball in Ohio State territory,

Ohio State's defense would hold Michigan to another field goal, and only another field goal would be allowed for the remainder of the game.

2) The play that worried me most was an early run by Jordan Marshall, the player who mouthed off most through the week with gems such as "we (Michigan) have the best coach in the country", "it's about the culture" (think about that over the last few years), and not wanting to "be around people who are all about themselves".

Marshall entered the game with an injured shoulder; his first run was for thirty-six yards, but he left the game shortly.

Marshall tried to return in the second half, but he was stopped for little gains and soon was through for the day, finishing with sixty-one yards on seven carries.

3) Ohio State benefited and was stung by two calls in the first half.

Ohio State benefited on a close call on a Julian Sayin to Jeremiah Smith touchdown pass that saw Smith possibly losing control as he passed the goal line.

Because the ball went through the back of the end zone as part of the dumbest rule in the sport (a fumble through the end zone is considered a touchback and gives possession to the defense), Ohio State would have seen a 10-6 lead turn into a 6-3 Michigan lead, returning the ball to the Wolverines.

4) The other controversy happened earlier in the first half.

Julian Sayin's QB sneak was initially called a touchdown and reversed by replay (I don't think Sayin scored, but I didn't see evidence on the replay through the pile of bodies), but C.J. Donaldson pretty clearly broke the plane of the goal line (The second dumbest rule in football), and it wasn't even replayed! 

Ohio State settled for a field goal on the drive.

5) Much of the talk during the week was about the availability of Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith for the game, and in the case of Tate, if he would ever play for the Buckeyes again, with Tate's eligibility for the 2026 NFL Draft.

I thought both would, both did, and both scored on long passes, 50 yards for Tate and 35 for Smith.

I think the Buckeyes are OK here.

6) The Ohio State defense never seemed threatened after the first drive.

Ohio State stopped Michigan after Julian Sayin's interception and shut down their offense entirely in the second half.

7) Michigan's freshman quarterback, Bryce Underwood, is being paid a lot of money, and he is a true freshman, but it's fair to consider that Michigan has to have thought they deserve more for their dollars than sixty-three passing yards and an interception.

8) While the game was essentially ended by the Sayin to Tate strike in the third quarter, the true kill-shot was the field goal that ate the final five-plus minutes of the third quarter and the first six of the final period.

That drive slowly sapped Michigan's will and any chance of it forging a rally.

9) Ohio State's offensive line has been maligned through the years (not as much this season), but the numbers in this game- Zero sacks allowed, Zero pressures against Julian Sayin, and one hundred eighty-six yards rushing.

It is often about the trenches and physicality in this game, and in the recent losses, Michigan had the edge in that department- not on this day.

10)  The defensive line did its share of bullying.

Kenyatta Jackson, Kayden McDonald, and Caden Curry are more than just pass rushers; they stuff the run as well.

Michigan finished with one hundred yards rushing as a team, but remember, thirty-six of those came on the first run by Jordan Marshall.

After that run, Michigan rushed for sixty-four yards on twenty-three rushes, an average of 2.78 per try.

11) The win (as we have heard so often) was the first over Michigan since 2019, but don't forget (although Michigan has) that in 2020, the Buckeyes reached the National Title game (before losing to Alabama), and a losing Michigan team ducked a certain defeat in that Covid season by meekly saying they didn't have enough players.

Combine that with the "Connor Stallion" losses, and you could say Michigan had a real two-game winning streak.

12) Give Ryan Day credit for class by telling his team not to plant the Ohio State flag at midfield.

Michigan stood at midfield to block any attempt and later said, "They weren't going to do that," but Day told Michigan coach Sherrone Moore at midfield that they wouldn't be planting any flags.

It defused a possible situation after last season's debacle in Columbus.
Perhaps if Michigan were so concerned about retribution, it shouldn't have started this practice.

Hopefully, we can get past this in the future from both schools.

PPM

   It's Rivalry Week with lots of bitter battles, including one for Ohio State against those dastardly Wolverines.

Last Week: 10-4 

Overall: 125-55

College 

Ohio State over Michigan 20-10

Texas Tech over West Virginia 36-17

N.C. State over North Carolina 20-17

Arkansas over Missouri 39-36

Boise State over Utah 31-13

Bowling Green over Massachusetts 30-20

UTSA over Army 40-29

Washington State over Oregon State 17-13

Marshall over Georgia Southern 41-31

New Mexico State over Middle Tennessee 27-21

Games of the Week

Texas over Texas A&M 24-21

Arizona State over Arizona 37-35

NFL
49ers over Browns 24-17

Dolphins over Saints 20-10

Games of the Week

Eagles over Bears 31-24

Bills over Steelers 27-20

Browns rout Raiders

      The Cleveland Browns 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday has taken me some time to "get on paper".

Quinshon Judkins rushed for two touchdowns, while Shedeur Sanders threw for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

The Cleveland defense sacked Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith ten times, with Myles Garrett (three) and Maliek Collins (two and a half) leading the way.

The Browns improved to 3-8 with the win and will come home for their next games against the visiting San Francisco 49ers.

Brownie Bits

1) I thought Shedeur Sanders was good and bad in his first start.

I thought his interception to Charles Snowden of the Raiders was a poor decision, but his throw to Isaiah Bond was the play of the day.

2) The Sanders throw to Bond was on the run and was right on the money with the type of throw that Dillon Gabriel isn't capable of making.

Sanders isn't known for extraordinary arm strength, but if he can make that throw, arm strength will not be an issue.

3) Every week, we write about Jerry Jeudy, and once again, it's a Jeudy screw-up as he caught one pass for thirty-nine yards before fumbling it away.

On this play, Jeudy was running down the field with a large gain before pulling up ( in live action, it looked possible that he pulled a hamstring), and inexplicably hopped in the air before Jeremy Chinn punched the ball out.

4) Quinshon Judkins finished with only forty-seven yards rushing on sixteen carries, but scored two touchdowns, both from the "Wildcat" formation.

Teams will continue to focus on stopping Judkins first until Sanders (or any other QB) can consistently show the offense can do other things besides handing off to Judkins.

5) To say that I'm not in love with the Wildcat is understating things, mainly because it's not a passing threat, but I prefer the formation when the player taking the snap is a power rusher, such as Quinshon Judkins, rather than a scatback type.

Judkins is far more capable of putting his shoulder down and gaining a few yards than a smaller, shiftier back, so it makes sense to use him in short-yardage situations.

6) Ten sacks on Geno Smith for the Browns defense.

The Raiders had no luck blocking the Browns pass rushers, and while Myles Garrett was his typical dominant self, Cleveland had eight players who finished with a half-sack or more.

7) Both teams entered the game at 2-8, and honestly, neither team is very good, but the Browns defense alone is enough to beat other crappy teams.

Although this didn't work out against the similarly awful Jets, Cleveland's defense will more often than not lift them to victory.

8) The Cleveland offensive line has been much maligned this season and rightfully so, but the O-line held the Raiders to just one sack against Shedeur Sanders and zero to Maxx Crosby.

Crosby is almost as good as Myles Garrett, and he did hit Sanders several times, but the offensive line held things together enough to keep Crosby from taking over.

9) Myles Garrett has more sacks (18) than the entire teams of the Panthers, Bengals, or 49ers.

Besides that being a crazy number, keep your eye on that as the 49ers come to Cleveland this week.

10) I'm not a big fan of the Browns white alternate helmets, but they looked better with the orange pants worn against the Raiders.

The orange breaks up the all-white look that the Bengals have with their alternates, which resembles pajamas with all the white.

11) The win essentially ended any hopes of the top overall draft pick.

The Browns are now at 3-8, which places them behind the 1-10 Titans (a future Browns foe) and behind the following 2-9 teams: Jets, Raiders, and Saints, along with the 2-10 Giants.

Add in three other 3-8 teams (Bengals, Commanders, and Cardinals), and the Browns would pick between sixth and ninth if the draft were held today.

Since they will likely defeat the lousy Titans in a Cleveland home game, the Browns might need help to pick in the top ten.

PPM

 The football autumn grows colder as the college season hits the home stretch and the NFL teams continue to jockey for playoff position.

Last Week: 13-1 

Overall: 115-51

College

Ohio State over Rutgers 41-10

Texas over Arkansas 31-27

Florida State over N.C. State 24-14

Boise State over Colorado State 17-13

UTSA over East Carolina 45-41

Bowling Green over Akron 24-20

Old Dominion over Georgia Southern 43-37

Middle Tennessee over Sam Houston 19-17

Games of the Week

Oregon over USC 27-21

Oklahoma over Missouri 23-20

NFL
Raiders over Browns 17-13

Saints over Falcons 20-17

Games of the Week

Rams over Buccaneers 38-34

Chiefs over Colts 35-32

Browns sign Alex Wright to extension

  The Cleveland Browns made a move for the future at a time when games are played in the present, as the team announced their signing of defensive end Alex Wright to a three-year extension, valued at thirty-three million dollars with twenty-one million guaranteed.

The twenty-five-year-old was the Browns' third-round draft choice in 2022 from UAB and would have been eligible for free agency after this season.

Wright has played well this season at the end opposite Myles Garrett with three sacks in nine games before dealing with a quad injury, which caused him to miss Cleveland's loss to Baltimore last Sunday.

Wright has a career total of nine sacks, including this season, with a high of five in 2023.

The biggest knock that I have against Wright is his inability to avoid nagging injuries, which held him to four games in 2024 and have now sidelined him again.

If Wright can stay healthy, this is a solid deal for Wright, who isn't an impact player but a solid starter/rotational rush end, and it would take around the same amount of money to land a similar player through free agency, so it makes sense to reward the homegrown player.

At the same time, Wright's injury history does add a little trepidation and a little concern, so I wouldn't call this a great deal yet.

I'll say it's an acceptable deal with the possibility of being a bargain, if Wright can start and finish a full season.