Good morning to everyone but especially to...
THE CLEVELAND BROWNS
If the Cleveland Browns want to stay in the AFC playoff picture until Deshaun Watson returns, they're going to have to use the same formula they used in their 29-17 win over the Steelers on Thursday: a dominant ground game, a solid quarterback performance and a terrific defensive effort.
Nick Chubb had 23 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown. It was his 24th 100-yard rushing game since the start of 2018, most in the NFL, and Cleveland finished with 171 rushing yards as a team.Amari Cooper and David Njoku combined for 16 receptions, 190 yards and two touchdowns. Jacoby Brissett went to them quite often as part of a 220-yard, two-touchdown, zero-interception passing performance.In Chubb and Cooper, the Browns had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver in the same game for the first time since 1986.The Browns' defense scored more points in the second half (six on a fumble recovered by Denzel Ward in the end zone on the final play of the game) than it allowed (three).Despite his offense's struggles, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he is sticking with Mitchell Trubisky over Kenny Pickett.Chubb is one of the NFL's most understated, under-recognized stars, but his game did plenty of talking. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry overall and an absurd 5.0 yards after first contact. When you have a less-than-ideal quarterback situation, the ability to turn would-be negative plays into short gains and would-be short gains into medium or long ones is a huge boost.
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Brissett didn't have to force a ton of things downfield, and he was very accurate on the short and intermediate game. Add in that defense, and Cleveland is riding high coming off a key division win.
Honorable mentions
Not so honorable mention
Celtics suspend Ime Udoka for season; more details emerge regarding relationship with staffer
The Boston Celtics have suspended head coach Ime Udoka for the entire 2022-23 season and will make a decision regarding his future with the team at a later date. Udoka reportedly violated organizational guidelines by having an improper relationship with a staff member.
According to reports, the Celtics originally believed the relationship was consensual. However, the woman recently accused Udoka of "making unwanted comments toward her," which prompted the organization's investigation.Udoka led the Celtics to an NBA Finals appearance last season, his first as an NBA head coach. The Celtics (+550) are currently the favorite to win the NBA title, just ahead of the Warriors (+600), who beat Boston in the Finals.Joe Mazzulla will be elevated to interim head coach. Mazzulla joined the Celtics in 2019; prior to that, he was the head coach at Division II Fairmont State. He interviewed for the Jazz head coach opening -- which eventually went to Will Hardy, another Boston assistant -- over the offseason.Udoka issued the following statement:
Udoka: "I want to apologize to our players, fans, the entire Celtics organization, and my family for letting them down. I am sorry for putting the team in this difficult situation and I accept the team's decision. Out of respect for everyone involved, I will have no further comment." Getty ImagesThe Pistons are well into their rebuild. The Jazz are tearing things down. That difference was on display Thursday, when Utah sent Bojan Bogdanovic to Detroit for Kelly Olynyk and guard Saben Lee.
Notably, there are no draft picks changing hands, making this a huge win for the Pistons, writes NBA guru James Herbert.
Herbert: "Pistons trade grade: A+ -- He'll give Cade Cunningham more space to operate when they're on the court together and help the team remain functional when Cunningham is on the bench. The veteran could serve as a model of sorts for Saddiq Bey, and the two forwards will complement each other. It's unclear if Jaden Ivey will start right away, but a Cunningham-Ivey-Bey-Bogdanovic foursome would give Dwane Casey's coaching staff an interesting look: dynamic on offense, switchable on defense."James gave a significantly less-impressive grade to Utah, which has the fifth-shortest odds to have the NBA's worst record at Caesars Sportsbook.
