Broncos beat Browns in wild Monday Night Football game with two pick sixes; Projecting tonight's CFP Rankings

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🏈 Good morning to everyone but especially ...

THE DENVER BRONCOS

It wasn't exactly how many people envisioned Broncos-Browns would go, but wins are wins, and Denver found a way. In a projected defensive dogfight, the Broncos outlasted the Browns 41-32 in a whirlwind thriller.

This was just about the most Jameis Winston game ever. Cleveland's mercurial quarterback threw for a Browns-record 497 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw three back-breaking interceptions, including pick sixes to Nik Bonitto and Ja'Quan McMillian.
Bo Nix was arguably just as up-and-down, throwing two interceptions but also firing a majestic 93-yard touchdown to Marvin Mims Jr.
Denver was out-gained 552-400, the most yards allowed in a win in franchise history.

I don't really know what to say. This game was all over the place. Denver's vaunted defense was unusually leaky. Jerry Jeudy had 235 yards receiving, most ever by a player against a former team.

Sometimes you have to win weird games. It's a lot better than losing weird games. Denver is 8-5 and No. 7 seed in the AFC playoff picture heading into its bye.

👍 Honorable mentions

Ryan Poles will remain Bears GM and will lead the coaching search.
Today is the earliest National Signing Day ever. Here's how to follow along, and here are key storylines.
Will Frankie Montas be the Mets' next successful reclamation project?
Luther Burden III declared for the NFL Draft.
Miller Moss is transferring.
Dillon Gabriel is nearing Case Keenum's career passing record, and Keenum is a fan.
Realignment means a conference debutant is in every single Power Four championship game.
This school is interested in hiring Bobby Petrino as coach.
Oklahoma hired Ben Arbuckle as offensive coordinator.
Dana Holgorsen will remain Nebraska's offensive coordinator.
The WNBA announced its first 44-game schedule.
The first men's college basketball NET Rankings dropped Monday, as did a new AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll.
Munetaka Murakami will transfer to MLB after the 2025 NPB season.
Here's the latest women's college basketball AP Top 25.
The USWNT takes on the Netherlands in its final friendly of 2024.

🤕 And not such a good morning for ...

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY AND THE SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Christian McCaffrey's injury Sunday night did not look good, and one day later, the news was not good, either. McCaffrey is headed to IR and expected to miss six weeks with a PCL (knee) injury. This potentially ends his season, considering there are five weeks left in the regular season and the 49ers are 5-7 (though certainly not out of it).

One year after leading the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2,023), touchdowns scored (21) and touches (339) and winning AP Offensive Player of the Year, McCaffrey has battled a brutal bill of health. He missed the team's first eight games with bilateral Achilles tendonitis.
In three and a half games, McCaffrey has zero touchdowns and has gone over 100 yards from scrimmage once. He just hasn't quite looked the same, a worrying sign for a 28-year-old running back.
Making matters worse, top backup running back Jordan Mason (high ankle sprain) is also headed to IR. Defensive lineman Kevin Givens tore his pec, and his season is over.

This is shaping up to be a disappointing -- and devastatingly consequential -- season from a bonafide Super Bowl contender, one that has made two Super Bowls and two NFC Championships in the last five seasons but has zero rings to show for it. Before the season, during the dramatic, awkward Brandon Aiyuk situation, I wondered if this was San Francisco's last chance for another run, considering the aging, expensive roster and the fact that Brock Purdy hasn't gotten expensive yet.

Then this happened:

First-round rookie Ricky Pearsall got shot days before the season started. He debuted in Week 8.
McCaffrey missed the first eight games.
Javon Hargrave tore his triceps in September.
Aiyuk tore his ACL and MCL in October.
Talanoa Hufanga, returning from a torn ACL, played two games before suffering a wrist injury.
Dre Greenlaw, who tore his Achilles running onto the field at the Super Bowl, has not returned yet.
Trent Williams, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Charvarius Ward and Purdy have missed time.

These are not just some guys. These are superstars. All-Pros. Pro Bowlers. Players who make the 49ers the 49ers -- arguably the best roster in the NFL. Last year, the 49ers were among the league's healthiest teams. This year, they are among the league's most injured. It's a brutal reminder that the NFL stands for "Not For Long," and the 49ers' remarkably talented roster might not be for long, either.

😬 Not so honorable mentions

LeBron James is 0 for 19 from 3 over his past four games, and he's finally showing real signs of decline, Sam Quinn writes.
Lamar Jackson said his mom cussed him out for not running more.
Azeez Al-Shaair apologized to Trevor Lawrence for the illegal hit that concussed Lawrence, but Al-Shaair could still face a suspension.
Dexter Lawrence (elbow) is done for the year.
Taysom Hill (knee) is done for the year.
The NBA needs to fix its end-of-game free throw parade, Brad Botkin says.
The Athletics' new Las Vegas stadium keeps getting more expensive.
The ACC fined and reprimanded NC State, North Carolina, Virginia and Virginia Tech.

🏈 NFL playoff picture: NFC West, NFC South chaos

Now that we're into December, we'll be providing updated looks at the NFL playoff picture every Tuesday.

In the AFC ...

Chiefs (11-1, clinched playoff berth, lead AFC West)
Bills (10-2, clinched AFC East)
Steelers (9-3, lead AFC North)
Texans (8-5, lead AFC South)
Chargers (8-4)
Ravens (8-5)
Broncos (8-5)

Denver is in good shape but faces a challenging closing stretch: the Colts, at the Chargers, at the Bengals, at the Chiefs. The 6-7 Colts and the 4-8 Bengals can shake things up in those head-to-head meetings, and the 5-7 Dolphins are also nearby.

In the NFC ...

Lions (11-1, lead NFC North)
Eagles (10-2, lead NFC East)
Seahawks (7-5, lead NFC West)
Falcons (6-6, lead NFC South)
Vikings (10-2)
Packers (9-3)
Commanders (8-5)

The 6-6 Buccaneers are hanging around in the absolutely wild NFC South and the wild card. The 6-6 Cardinals, 6-6 Rams and 5-7 49ers are also in contention as there's plenty of chaos coming in the NFC West. The 5-7 Cowboys are also still alive.

Oh yeah, and the NFC North is ridiculously loaded.

🏈 What will tonight's CFP Rankings, bracket look like?

The regular season is over, but the College Football Playoff race just gets more interesting. Tonight, we'll get more answers with the penultimate CFP Rankings and bracket reveal.

Brad Crawford's projected bracket is sure to ruffle some feathers, but, hey, whatever the committee does will have plenty of people up in arms. In fact, Lane Kiffin (Ole Miss) and Bret Bielema (Illinois) are already trying to make their case.

Anyway, here are some takeaways from Brad's projection:

No. 1 Oregon, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 SMU and No. 4 Boise State get first-round byes as the respective projected Big Ten, SEC, ACC and Mountain West champions.
The projected Big 12 champion -- I won't say who -- is the No. 12 seed and would head to No. 5 Notre Dame.
Ohio State falls to the No. 8 seed.

OK, and now the big reveal. The final "at-large" selection is ...

Crawford: "No. 11 Alabama -- Will three-loss Alabama be the last team in, ahead of Miami and South Carolina? That's our projection entering conference championship week. The Crimson Tide hold the head-to-head advantage over the Gamecocks and their season-long resume is considerably more impressive than what the Hurricanes have managed in the ACC."

Remember when I said feathers will be ruffled? Gamecock feathers would certainly be included there, especially after their outstanding finish to the season. Shane Beamer's team has won six straight since that mid-October loss to Alabama, with ranked wins over Texas A&M, Missouri and Clemson on the resume.

To illustrate how close it is, Alabama is two spots ahead of South Carolina in the CBS Sports 134 and two spots behind South Carolina in Brandon Marcello's Power Rankings. It'll all come down to what the committee says, though, and with both teams' seasons over, we're getting crucial results tonight.

📺 What we're watching Tuesday

⚽ USWNT vs. Netherlands, 2:45 p.m. on TNT
🏀 No. 14 Cincinnati at Villanova (M), 6:30 p.m. on FS1
🏀 Syracuse at No. 8 Tennessee (M), 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Magic at Knicks, 7:30 p.m. on TNT
🏀 Michigan at No. 11 Wisconsin (M), 9 p.m. on Peacock
🏀 Wake Forest at No. 22 Texas A&M (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 No. 23 Ole Miss at Louisville (M), 9 p.m. on ACC Network
🏀 No. 4 Kentucky at Clemson (M), 9:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 Warriors at Nuggets, 10 p.m. on TNT