🏈❄️ Browns Win in Snowbowl, Big NHL Games, College Football & NFL Weekend Preview, + More!

Happy Friday, Blitzers!

Happy Feel Good Friday! We made it. I recently heard a great little tidbit from Matthew McConaughey, an avid reader of the Morning Blitz (I assume). He talked about why Fridays are the best:

I have to write something or break a sweat or do something in the day to go, ‘okay, cocktail is going to taste better this afternoon’… I need a little bit of Monday in each day to earn that. That's why I love Friday the best. First half business. Second half, 48-hour runway of freedom.

Earn that 48-hour runway of freedom today. Have a great day and weekend. Let’s Blitz!

WTF Stat: RB Ashton Jeanty cannot be stopped. 9+ people in the box is hilarious:

❄️🏈  The Browns stunned the Steelers 24-19, in what ended up being a snow-filled game, ending their five-game winning streak. RB Nick Chubb scored a 2-yard touchdown with 57 seconds left, marking his first game against Pittsburgh since a season-ending knee injury last year. The Browns had blown a 12-point lead in the fourth quarter, falling behind 19-18. However, after a Pittsburgh punter's shanked punt, Cleveland took over with 3:22 remaining. QB Jameis Winston connected with WR Jerry Jeudy, setting up Chubb’s decisive run. The Steelers’ last-ditch Hail Mary was knocked down, securing the win for the Browns and giving coach Kevin Stefanski and fans a much-needed victory.

• Browns Takeaways: That was fun wasn’t it? Throw out the season record, it’s always nice to get a win against a division rival and finally pull out a close game. What is tough is that the Browns didn’t play that well (3 turnovers, 1/10 on 3rd downs), but were talented enough to get the win. That’s usually something a great team is able to do, not one that sits at 3-8. Does speak to how much talent is on this Browns team and how disappointing this year has been.

• Steelers Takeaways: If it walks like a letdown game, and talks like a letdown game, it’s probably a letdown game. The Steelers have been able to pull a rabbit out of the hat the last two weeks winning close games. But it wasn’t meant to be last night. The first half was pretty gross, and included two turnovers on downs, a lost fumble, and a missed field goal. They showed some life in the second half but when you get the ball up 19-18, with 4:22 left in the game, and then proceed to go a 3-and-out, and then punt the ball 15 yards, you deserve to lose.

⚾️Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were unanimously awarded the MVPs in their respective leagues. Ohtani, winning his third MVP in four years, had a historic season with the Dodgers, leading the NL in home runs (54), RBIs (130), and OPS (1.036), while also setting a new career high in stolen bases (59). Despite recovering from elbow surgery and not pitching, Ohtani also helped the Dodgers win the World Series. Judge, led the majors with 58 home runs, 144 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.159, contributing significantly to the Yankees' pennant victory.

Top College Football Games This Weekend

#5 Indiana (10-0) at #2 Ohio State (9-1) - Sat. 12:00 PM (FOX)

What’s At Stake: The marquee match-up of the weekend…at Noon. Anyone want to boycott Big Noon? I’ll start a petition. Who’s with me?! Man, this week has been rife with takes about the college football playoff rankings. The common consensus is that this is a must win game for IU to have a shot at the playoffs because a 1-loss B1G team is basically disqualified…wait what? Story for another day. It is true that the Hoosiers have played the six worst teams in the conference. It is true that they barely beat a bad Michigan team. It is true that the Horseshoe is an incredibly tough place to play at any time of day. It is true that Ohio State has way more talent. Heart and good vibes only count for so much. Buckeyes win and cover.

The Pick: Ohio State -10.5

#9 Ole Miss (8-2) at Florida (5-5) - Sat. 12:00 PM (ABC)

What’s At Stake: For the non-Ole Miss fan, this game on paper is an Ole Miss no-brainer. For the Ole Miss fan, this is a game where, historically, they lay a big ole egg and eliminate themselves from contention. The last time I thought a big name team coming into the Swamp had a shot at losing was Texas, and the Longhorns mopped the floor with the Gators. As tempting as it is to lean into the Ole Miss anxiety, I’m not being fooled by the Gators again. Hotty Toddy.

The Pick: Ole Miss -11.5

#14 BYU (9-1) at #21 Arizona State (8-2) - Sat. 3:30 PM (ESPN)

What’s At Stake: BYU was finally knocked off its pedestal last week at home against Kansas. Meanwhile, Arizona State has largely flown under the radar after losing to Texas Tech and Cincinnati, but after some chaos, they are firmly in the race for a Big12 title berth. They also have one of the most dynamic running backs in the country with one of the best names: Cam Skattebo. The Cougars had a great run, but they’re trending in the wrong direction.

The Pick: ASU -3

#16 Colorado (8-2) at Kansas (4-6) - Sat. 3:30 PM (FOX)

What’s At Stake: Another week, another opportunity for Kansas to play spoiler. They took down Iowa State. They beat BYU. Now they have the chance to knock the Buffs down a peg. I’ve been waiting for Colorado to crumble, but they seem to be getting better on both sides of the ball as they hurtle towards the Big 12 Championship. Kansas QB Jalon Daniels has definitely played better, but good enough to keep pace with Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter? Probably not.

The Pick: Buffs -3

#19 Army (9-0) at #6 Notre Dame (9-1) - Sat. 7:00 PM (NBC)

What’s At Stake: Hearts and minds. The entire country wants Army in the playoff because how awesome would that be? Bryson Daily has rushed for 1,000 yards on the season running the flexbone for the Black Knights. Marcus Freeman has really turned the narrative around on the Irish after Northern Illinois. Not to mention, they’ve already faced an undefeated service academy and barely broke a sweat. I will be rooting for Army with my heart, but betting on Notre Dame with my wallet.

The Pick: ND -14

Other Games I’m Keeping an Eye On

#13 SMU at Virginia - 12:00 (ESPN2)

#4 Penn State at Minnesota - 3:30 PM (CBS)

#15 Texas A&M at Auburn - 7:30 PM (ESPN)

NFL Week 12 Preview

NFL’s Most Intriguing Games

Detroit (9-1) at Indianapolis (5-6) - 1:00 PM (FOX)

The View: The Colts got the performance they hoped they would be getting all year out of QB Anthony Richardson in his return to starting: 20/30, 272 yards, 3 TDs (2 rush). Maybe his time on the bench did its job…but this is a big, big test because the Colts will need to throw to beat the Lions, who are the top of the league against the rush. Detroit clearly isn’t messing around after beating the Jags to a pulp last week. I think people want AR5 to be good…and he may be…just not against the Lions.

The Pick: Lions -7

Minnesota (8-2) at Chicago (4-6) - 1:00 PM (FOX)

The View: The Bears enter this game at 4-6, but their record could easily be reversed if they would just stop crumbling in the 4th quarter. Despite losing four in a row, their playoff hopes aren’t quite dead yet. The Vikings, despite their 8-2 record, are starting to show some signs of regression. The Bears are very good against the pass and Aaron Jones is banged up. If the Bears continue to show signs of improvement in the post-Shane Waldron era, they could certainly take this game at home. Regardless, it’s a division battle and will be close.

The Pick: Bears +4.5

San Francisco (5-5) at Green Bay (7-3) - 4:25 PM (FOX)

The View: As a 90s kid, it doesn’t get much more classic than this non-divisional rivalry. However, this is far from the Favre vs. Young showdowns in the 90s. The nation is waiting for the Niners to figure it out. Is this the week? Last week’s loss at home to Seattle was shocking, maybe this version of San Fran just doesn’t have it. Brandon Aiyuk took the money and ran to the IR, Deebo Samuel seems uninspired and CMC is still working his way back from injury. The defense has been good, not great. It’s just been a weird year for a preseason Super Bowl contender. Not a great week to figure it out against a Packers team which has won 5 of its last 6.

The Pick: Packers -3

Arizona (6-4) at Seattle (5-5) - Sunday 4:25 PM (FOX)

The View: We totally saw this coming. Week 12, Cardinals vs. Seahawks for 1st place in the NFC West. Totally. Arizona has won four straight games to catapult themselves to the division lead and they were against decent opponents. Kyler and Ko. may be for real. Meanwhile, Seattle is coming out on the other side of a gauntlet of opponents and they’ve got some positive momentum after Geno Smith’s game-winning scamper against San Francisco. They’re finally realizing they have something special in Jaxon Smith-Njigba and I think they snap Arizona’s winning streak.

The Pick: Seahawks +1

Philadelphia (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (5-5) - Sunday 8:20 PM (NBC)

The View: The Rams weathered their injury storm and are starting to look like a good football team winning four of five. The Eagles have been pretty dominant on both sides of the ball since losing to Tampa Bay in Week 4. Saquon Barkley has truly been a revelation for Philly and the Rams have a pretty weak defense. Of course if Saquon is slowed down, the Eagles can turn to AJ Brown and Devonta Smith. I think this game is a shootout, but the Rams don’t have enough gas in the tank to keep with Philly’s weapons.

The Pick: Eagles -3

D-Man’s Gambling Corner

Rapid Fire picks this week:

Titans +2.5

Texans Under 40.5

Rams +3

NFL Gambling Record:

D-Man: 5-5

Jean Machine: 31-18

Full NFL Schedule click here

NBA Top Games

Magic 119, Lakers 118: Franz Wagner hit a go-ahead 3-pointer with 2.5 seconds left to lift Orlando to a 119-118 victory and snap the Lakers six-game winning streak. Anthony Davis missed two crucial free throws with 19 seconds remaining and then missed a jumper at the buzzer, sealing the Magic's win. Wagner scored 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter and added 11 assists, while Jalen Suggs contributed 23 points and Moritz Wagner had a season-high 19.

Hornets 123, Pistons 121: Brandon Miller scored a career-high 38 points, including 8 points in overtime, to lead the Hornets to a 123-121 win over the Pistons. Miller was outstanding from beyond the arc, hitting 8 of 12 three-pointers, including two crucial ones in overtime. LaMelo Ball added 35 points and nine assists, though he fouled out just seconds into the overtime period.

NHL Top Games

Blue Jackets 7, Lightning 6: Zach Werenski scored in overtime and recorded a five-point game to lead Columbus to a 7-6 victory. After the Lightning jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first period, the Blue Jackets rallied, with Werenski tying the game at 4 in the second period. Sean Monahan contributed with a goal and three assists, while Kent Johnson scored both on a power play and short-handed in his return from injury.

Golden Knights 3, Senators 2: Ilya Samsonov had a big bounce back game with 38 saves to lead the Golden Knights to a 3-2 win. Samsonov allowed 10 goals in his previous two games, but made some key saves in this one. Vegas took a 1-0 lead early in the first period when Jack Eichel capitalized on a diving save by Ottawa’s Linus Ullmark. Brett Howden made it 2-0 in the second with a goal that slipped past Ullmark. Drake Batherson scored for Ottawa late in the third, but the Senators couldn't complete the comeback despite outshooting Vegas 18-5 in the period.

Red Wings 2, Islanders 1: Lucas Raymond scored with 51 seconds left, leading the Red Wings to a 2-1 victory over the Islanders. Jonatan Berggren also scored for the Red Wings, snapping a three-game losing streak, while Alex Lyon made 22 saves.

Blues 3, Sharks 2: Jake Neighbours scored the only goal in the shootout, leading the St. Louis Blues to a 3-2 win over the San Jose Sharks. Jordan Binnington denied all three Sharks shooters in the shootout, securing his 151st career win. Alexander Wennberg scored both goals for the Sharks, while Mikael Granlund and Macklin Celebrini, the 2024 No. 1 draft pick, assisted.

Avalanche 2, Capitals 1: Miles Wood scored the tiebreaking goal early in the third period to lead the Colorado Avalanche to a 2-1 win over the Washington Capitals. Mikko Rantanen also scored for the Avalanche, who have won five of their last six games. Alexandar Georgiev made 29 saves to earn his fourth consecutive win after returning from an upper-body injury. Washington also faced the loss of superstar Alex Ovechkin, who will be out for 4-6 weeks with a broken fibula.

Bruins 1, Utah Hockey Club 0: Joonas Korpisalo made 21 saves, and Elias Lindholm scored the only goal as the Boston Bruins defeated the Utah Hockey Club 1-0 in their first game since firing coach Jim Montgomery and appointing Joe Sacco as interim coach. The win ended Boston's three-game losing streak.

See full scoreboard here and standings here.

On this day in 1986, 20-year-old Mike Tyson becomes youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history knocking out Trevor Berbick in the second round to earn the WBC title. Looks a little bit different than the guy we saw fighting Jake Paul.

Yesterday’s Trivia Time Answer

Which MLB pitcher has the most career Cy Young Awards?

D) Roger Clemens - With 7 Cy Young awards. Three with Boston (1986, 1987, 1991), two with Toronto (1997, 1998), one with New York (2001) and one with Houston (2004). Randy Johnson is second with five, and Greg Maddux and Steve Carlton are third with four.

Check back on Monday for today’s trivia answer and more info!