Sunday Dawg Chow: Browns news (1/2/22)

Cleveland Browns:

• Safeties John Johnson III, Ronnie Harrison Jr., nickelback Troy Hill ruled out vs. Steelers (Beacon Journal) - If the Browns are going to prevail in a must-win game on ”Monday Night Football” against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they’ll need to do it with a shorthanded secondary. On Saturday, the Browns (7-8) ruled out starting safeties John Johnson III (hamstring) and Ronnie Harrison Jr. (ankle) and nickelback Troy Hill (knee) for their road game against the Steelers (7-7-1).
• Data says Baker Mayfield is historically bad in ‘crunch time’ (Browns Wire) - Fans of the Cleveland Browns look at the title of this piece with some version of “thanks, Captain Obvious” running through their heads. QB Baker Mayfield has struggled in some of the most important times of games during his career. While all of the blame — and credit, to be clear — should never be placed on one player’s shoulders, Mayfield has been consistent in his struggles.
• Myles Garrett chases strong finish despite bothersome groin injury (Browns Zone) - Defensive end Myles Garrett practiced Thursday and Friday in a limited role but said his groin injury isn’t noticeably better than when he managed just a quarterback hit and a tackle assist last Saturday during the 24-22 loss to the Packers.
• The Winning Mix: 3 keys to a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers (clevelandbrowns.com) - The Browns have lost each of their last two games by exactly two points and find themselves at 7-8, but still very much alive in the quest to in the AFC North for the first time in franchise history.

NFL:

• The Great NFL Heist: How Fox Paid for and Changed Football Forever (The Ringer) - An oral history of the most important deal in sports TV history, when Rupert Murdoch and Fox stole the NFL and John Madden out from under the Big Three networks, created the modern pregame show, invented a new way to see football, and launched a television empire.
• How Eli Apple went from bust to starter, helping the Bengals to the playoffs (ESPN) - Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Eli Apple could be heard before he was seen as he ran toward the visitors’ locker room after a blowout win against the Baltimore Ravens in October. At the entrance of Cincinnati’s locker room at M&T Bank Stadium, he peeled around the corner and let loose in a little light trolling.
• Colts QB Carson Wentz activated off of reserve/COVID-19 list (NFL.com) - The Indianapolis Colts are one big step closer to having their starting quarterback available for Week 17. Carson Wentz was activated off the reserve/COVID-19 list on Saturday.