What is the story about?
The calendar is growing thin as we count off the final days of 2025, and this weekend marks the final one of the year with NFL football.
After what turned into a lackluster day of football on Christmas, today’s games have some actual playoff juice.
First up, the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers will be battling not only for playoff positioning but also for a division title in their respective divisions. The nightcap brings the Baltimore Ravens, on the verge of being eliminated, against the Green
Bay Packers, who have earned a playoff spot but still have an outside shot at claiming the NFC North Division title.
That tilt may have implications for the Cleveland Browns, because a Ravens loss clinches the AFC North Division for the Pittsburgh Steelers, which could entice Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin to sit some key players on Sunday against the Browns.
But we are getting ahead of ourselves, so, for now, let’s dive into the latest news and notes about the Browns and the rest of the NFL in today’s edition of the Saturday Dawg Chow.
Dawgs By Nature
- Browns injuries: 2 rookies add problems in Friday’s practice before Steelers game in Week 17 (Jared Mueller) – The Cleveland Browns injury report added rookies Harold Fannin Jr. and Dillon Gabriel on Friday before Week 17’s game with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
- Browns vs. Steelers: Week 17 Need to Know (Thomas Moore) – Cleveland is hoping to show some life in the home finale against Pittsburgh. Here is everything you need to know.
- Browns vs. Steelers Week 17 predictions: Does Saturday night change things? (Chris Pokorny) – The DBN staff predicts the Week 16 games, plus the national media make their predictions for Browns vs. the Steelers.
- What’s the confidence level in the direction of the Browns? Reacts Survey Week 17 (Chris Pokorny) – How are we feeling about the future of the Browns?
- 5 quick hitters with Behind the Steel Curtain: Aaron Rodgers’ improvement, and Myles Garrett’s sack record (Chris Pokorny) – We ask about the Steelers’ improvement from Aaron Rodgers, how things change without DK Metcalf, and more.
- 6 takeaways from Cleveland’s coordinators about the Steelers (Thomas Moore) – Recapping the most notable quotes from the Browns coordinators ahead of their Week 17 game vs. Pittsburgh.
- NFL playoff droughts: 14 teams have longer one than the Browns, 5 to end this year (Jared Mueller) – The Cleveland Browns’ NFL playoff drought will continue in 2025 but the Jets, Falcons and many others are longer.
- Browns 2026 NFL draft order: CLE’s floor set, will draft inside Top 10 if they win out (Jared Mueller) – For the 2026 NFL draft order, the Cleveland Browns’ floor is set, and the ceiling is the top overall pick.
- NFL 2025’s disappointing teams: Browns are bad but not among Top 5 most disappointing (Jared Mueller) – The Cleveland Browns have disappointed their fans, but the Lions, Vikings, Bengals, and more top the disappointment list.
Cleveland Browns:
- Steelers vs. Browns: 5 questions with the enemy ahead of Week 17 (Behind the Steel Curtain) – It’s a tale of two teams going in different directions as the Steelers and Browns square off this week.
- Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders’ approach to waiting? ‘Dwell on just be ready’ (Beacon Journal) – Raheim “Rocket” Sanders has been “The Guy” for a large part of his football career. Sanders may not have always been the No. 1 running back, whether it was at Rockledge High School in Florida or in college at Arkansas or South Carolina. What he never was was a guy relegated to just watching while others ran the football.
- The Browns’ franchise-altering decision high in NFL Draft 2026: Should they take a QB or build a foundation? (Terry Pluto) – As the Browns stumble toward what could be a top-two pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, cleveland.com columnist Terry Pluto and host David Campbell tackled a franchise-altering decision on this week’s Terry’s Talkin’ podcast. Should the Browns roll the dice on another quarterback, or build a foundation with a “sure thing” player?
- Shedeur Sanders shows fight, but Browns need to target QB in draft (The Athletic) – Are we good here? Have we seen enough? Everybody get what they wanted?
- How will the Browns pressure QB Aaron Rodgers? (clevelandbrowns.com) – The Browns will close out their home slate of games in Week 17 when they host the Steelers at Huntington Bank Field. This is the second matchup of the season between the division rivals, after playing in Pittsburgh in Week 6. Here are three burning questions ahead of Week 17.
NFL:
- 36 NFL rookies on the 1 big lesson they learned this season (ESPN) – Tight end Terrance Ferguson was a second-round pick out of Oregon, drafted to a Los Angeles Rams team that was heavy at the position. He is also one of 36 rookies ESPN interviewed about the biggest lesson they learned this season. Going from college star to NFL scout team was a humbling adjustment, but it was vital to know the playbook and stay ready because “you’re one play away from 50 snaps.”
- As the NFL fills the calendar, more football means more bad football (Washington Post) – With broadcast platforms willing to spend big on more inventory, the emphasis is on quantity, and the quality is suffering.
- The 10 best NFL player matchups to watch in Week 17 (Pro Football Focus) – Here are 10 head-to-head collisions to circle as you determine which games to prioritize watching and/or following this weekend.
