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🏈 Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE CLEVELAND BROWNS

Walking — and winning — in a winter wonderland. The Browns stunned the Steelers, 24-19, after blowing a late lead, getting it back and then holding on.

• Leading 18-6 about halfway through the fourth quarter, Cleveland gave up 13 points in 1:42.
• Jaylen Warren scored from 3 yards out, Nick Herbig forced a Jameis Winston fumble, and Russell Wilson threw a 23-yard touchdown to Calvin Austin III three plays later. Winston then threw an interception, and all looked lost.
• But it wasn’t. Pittsburgh went three-and-out, and Winston led a nine-play, 45-yard drive culminating in a 2-yard Nick Chubb touchdown. The drive included a huge 15-yard pass from Winston to Jerry Jeudy on third-and-6, Cleveland’s only third-down conversion all game.
• Grant Delpit and Jordan Hicks knocked down Wilson’s Hail Mary attempt.

Cleveland is 3-8. It’s not going anywhere this year. But a win like this reminds us there’s plenty of individual talent — Myles Garrett had three sacks and a forced fumble, Chubb scored twice, and Jeudy was excellent — and reason to believe there could be better days if the team can somehow get quarterback figured out.

👍 Honorable mentions

😠 And not such a good morning for …

THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS

The Steelers’ close-game luck running out here — against a struggling division rival, in brutal conditions, on a short week (again), after a huge win over the Ravens — is especially frustrating. Perhaps more frustrating, stadium security guards had to restrain receiver George Pickens from Cleveland cornerback Greg Newsome II immediately after the Steelers’ failed Hail Mary ended the game.

After not scoring a single touchdown against Baltimore, Pittsburgh needed until the fourth quarter to find the end zone against Cleveland. And even when the offense started scoring, the defense couldn’t get crucial stops.

It’s a tough loss for the Steelers, no doubt, and it also extends their 44-year streak of losing divisional road games played on Thursdays. On the bright side, they’ll get a little bit of extra time to heal up before another challenging divisional game next week at Cincinnati. (On a Sunday.)

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 NFL Week 12 preview, picks

As temperatures dip, NFL playoff races are heating up.

In the AFC, here are three races that intrigue me:

1. The No. 1 seed: The Chiefs are 9-1 and in the driver’s seat. But the Bills (8-2) are just a game behind and hold the head-to-head tiebreaker thanks to last week’s win over Kansas City.
2. Messy wild card picture: The AFC wild-card picture is crowded. The Broncos hold the No. 7 seed at 6-5. Then come the Colts (5-6), the Dolphins (4-6) and Bengals (4-7), who are barely hanging on but have plenty of offensive firepower.
3. The AFC North: The Steelers are 8-3, with the Ravens (7-4) giving chase. Pittsburgh faces a challenging finish that includes the Ravens, Chiefs, Eagles and Bengals twice.

Over in the NFC …

1. The No. 1 seed: The Lions (9-1) are a game up on the Eagles (8-2). Don’t sleep on Philadelphia.
2. The NFC West: The 6-4 Cardinals are one game up on the 5-5 Rams, Seahawks and 49ers. Yes, the Super Bowl runners-up are last in their own division, with a 1-3 divisional record. Our latest projections have San Francisco missing the postseason.
3. Is there room for a rally/collapse?: The Vikings (8-2), Packers (7-3) and Commanders (7-4) are the current wild card teams, and no one below them is above .500. Who will rally? Jordan Dajani ranked the NFC wild-card contenders.

That leaves a ton of key games this weekend, including the Cardinals visiting the Seahawks. Pete Prisco says …

• Prisco: “The Cardinals are off a bye, while the Seahawks are off a tough, physical victory over the 49ers. That wears on a team. Seattle looked good on defense in that game, but Kyler Murray is playing well right now. He will in this one as the Cardinals win a key division game to stay in first place. Pick: Cardinals 23, Seahawks 20“

While that one’s going on, the 49ers are in Green Bay, but will Brock Purdy be under center? He’s dealing with a shoulder issue as San Francisco’s injury woes continue. The NFC West fun carries into the night when the Rams host the Eagles.

Here are our experts’ picks and best bets:

Pete Prisco | Will Brinson | John Breech | Tyler Sullivan | Jordan Dajani

🏈 Previewing huge college football weekend

Ranked-vs.-ranked games, conference championship implications and potential playoff eliminations? This Saturday has it all, and it’ll start when No. 5 Indiana visits No. 2 Ohio State (preview) to open a loaded slate. The Hoosiers (10-0) have the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense, and the Buckeyes (9-1) have the No. 1 scoring defense, making for a tough pick in Tom Fornelli’s Six Pack. Oh yeah, and then there are the huge playoff implications and the fact that Indiana is never here while Ohio State always is.

There’s also no shortage of drama when No. 6 Notre Dame plays No. 19 Army at Yankee Stadium (preview). The Black Knights (9-0) and the Fighting Irish (9-1) are both very much in playoff contention, and if Army wins, the Group of Five deserves multiple playoff teams, not just the one it’s guaranteed should Army and No. 12 Boise State win out, Will Backus writes.

• Backus: “Take conference affiliation out of the conversation and there’s no doubt that a 12-win league champion absolutely deserves a spot over a two-loss Power Four program that didn’t even do enough to make a conference championship game. … Boise State’s strength of record (SOR) currently sits at No. 15 nationally while Army is No. 19, according to ESPN’s FPI metric. Those numbers can tick up over the next couple of weeks with additional wins.”

Debates will certainly rage regardless. With the expanded playoff, there’s more outrage over each and every Rankings, Dennis Dodd writes.

Here’s more:

🏈 Bryce Underwood flips to Michigan, Julian Lewis to Colorado