Checking in from Cleveland Browns Stadium, where a brilliant, sunny day got a little darker for Browns fans with the news that wide receiver Donte' Stallworth is inactive for today's game against the Ravens. Syndric Steptoe replaces Stallworth in the lineup, and the Browns activated Steve Sanders from the practice squad. Fullback Lawrence Vickers also is inactive.

The rest of the inactives:

Browns

QB Ken Dorsey
DB Hamza Abdullah
LB Beau Bell
DL Ahtyba Rubin
OL Scott Young
TE Martin Rucker

Ravens

K Steve Hauschka
WR Terrance Copper
CB Chris McAlister
CS Samari Rolle
S Dawan Landry
WR Marcus Smith
TE Daniel Wilcox
DT Lamar Divens

-- John Dudley

A quad injury will sideline receiver Donte' Stallworth for today's game against the Ravens at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Fullback Lawrence Vickers also will miss the game with an ankle injury.

The Ravens, meanwhile, are without three starters in their seconday -- corners Samari Rolle and Chris McAlister and safety Dawan Landry.

-- John Dudley

What happened: The Browns go three-and-out with the opening kickoff and Dave Zastudil shanked the punt. A penalty on the punt sets up the Ravens at the Browns 42. ... The Browns hold the Ravens to Matt Stover's 41-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead. ... The Ravens take a 10-0 lead when Joe Flacco hits Mark Clayton for a 47-yard touchdown one play after the Ravens recover a fumble by Syndric Steptoe. Clayton burns Brandon McDonald on a post pattern. ... Joshua Cribbs returns the kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to cut it to 10-7. It's Cribbs' fifth career kickoff return TD. ... The Ravens were driving as the quarter ended, with second-and-9 from the Browns' 25 after Flacco drove them from their 20.

Notes: The Ravens came out with rookie Ray Rice starting at tailback instead of veteran Willis McGahee. ... Troy Smith replaced Joe Flacco at QB on three plays. Brown handed it off for short gains on the first two, then faked a handoff and kept the other way on the third. Willie McGinest sniffed out the fake and dropped Brown for a one--yard gain. ... Browns WR Braylon Edwards shoved Ravens LB Ray Lewis after an incomplete pass on the first offensive snap. Edwards reacted after Lewis stayed on the receiver's legs after the ball was past them.

-- John Dudley

What happened: The Browns tie it in Phil Dawson's 23-yard field goal with 5:50 left in the half. Derek Anderson drives the Browns from their 20 to the Baltimore 6. His third-down pass to Jason Wright appears to be close to the first-down marker, but the spot moves the ball back a yard short. Coach Romeo Crennel doesn't challenge the spot, though, and sends in Dawson to make it 10-10. ... The Ravens drive from their 20 inside the Browns' 10, with Flacco completing third-down passes to Derrick Mason and Mark Clayton to keep the drive going. They have to settle for Matt Stover's 32-yard field goal with 29 seconds left after Shaun Rogers sacks Flacco for a six-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 8. ... The Browns drive to the Ravens' 37 with eight seconds left, where Dawson drills a 54-yard field goal to tie it, 13-13, at the half. That's a career long field goal for Dawson.

Notes: Crennel passed on two possible challenges, including the spot before Dawson's field goal. He also elected not to challenge a 17-yard reception by Baltmore's Mark Clayton although replays showed Clayton might not have gotten both feet down inbounds. The Ravens wound up punting. ... The Browns were doing a decent job against the run until Baltimore's final drove of the half, although their pass coverage has been soft and they haven't gotten much pressure on Flacco. ... Rogers has eight tackles and one sack at halftime.

-- John Dudley

Browns 27, Ravens 20

What happened: The Browns scored touchdowns on their first two third-quarter drives to take a 27-13 lead. Joshua Cribbs set up the first score with a long punt return to the Ravens' 28. Derek Anderson hit Braylon Edwards for a jump ball touchdown on the next play. ... The Browns forced a quick punt and scored again when Anderson capped a 72-yard drive by hitting Jason Wright on a short swing pass. Wright dove for the pylon to complete a 7-yard touchdown catch. ... Le'Ron McClain's 1-yard touchdown run near the end of the quarter cut the Browns' lead to 27-20.

Notes: After forcing punts on the Ravens' first two second-half drives, the Browns' defense softened. The Ravens drove 79 yards in 11 plays to make it a seven-point game. ... McClain scored behind an unbalanced line in which tackle Adam Terry and defensive lineman Haloti Ngata lined up in eligible positions on the left flank. McClain ran through an attempted arm tackle by D'Qwell Jackson at the 1. ... Browns guard Eric Steinbach left with a rib injury and his return is questionable.

-- John Dudley

Ravens 37, Browns 27

What happened: The Ravens tied it, 27-27, on Joe Flacco's 28-yard touchdown pass to Derrick Mason. Mason scored after Browns CB Eric Wright fell down trying to make a play on the ball. ... Baltimore took the lead 30-27 on Matt Stover's 22-yard field goal. That was set up when rookie RB Ray Rice broke over the right side for a 60-yard gain to the Cleveland 3. The Browns held, though, with Brodney Pool and Willie McGinest dropping Le'Ron McClain for a two-yard loss on third-and-goal from the 2. ... The Browns take over at their 44 with a chance to drive for the tying or go-ahead score, but on third-and-8, Anderson is pressured by Haloti Ngata and throws a short pass right to Terrell Suggs, who intercepts it and goes 42 yards for a touchdown to make it 37-27 with 2:43 to go. ... The Browns take the field again to boos from the crowd, and Anderson and the offense pick up one first down before three straight incompletions turn the ball back to the Ravens on downs with 2:02 remaining.

Notes: Baltimore's defense took over in the fourth quarter, holding the Browns scoreless and getting Suggs' interception return. The Ravens sacked Anderson only once but got steady pressure on passing downs. ... Braylon Edwards dropped a long pass from Anderson that would have resulted in at least a first down near the Baltimore 25, if not a touchdown. The game was tied, 27-27, at the time early in the fourth quarter. The Browns had to punt on the next play.

-- John Dudley

The folks over at Deadspin are ready for Brady Quinn to take over as the Browns' starting quarterback.

My take?

This was inevitable given the team's investment in Quinn -- which goes beyond his salary to the two high draft picks they gave up to move into position to take him.

Let's be honest. At 3-5 and with a tough finishing schedule, the Browns are a longshot to make a playoff run. Finishing out the season with Derek Anderson as the starter wouldn't accomplish much.

This will give Quinn a chance to work for an extended period of time with the first offense. By the end of the season the Browns should know whether they have one starting quarterback, two starting quarterbacks or no starting quarterbacks.

The upside is that Anderson definitely has some trade value. He has played well enough and been victimized often enough (including the repeated drops by Braylon Edwards) to avoid having all of the Browns' offensive problems heaped at his feet.

Maybe Quinn proves himself, the Browns deal Anderson for a draft pick, and they go into next season with a quasi-seasoned third-year quarterback and his preferred mentor, Ken Dorsey, as the backup with a team whose key players are still in their primes.

-- John Dudley

Checking in from Cleveland a little less than an hour before kickoff. The talk here, not surprisingly, is all Brady Quinn, and theories in the Browns press box abound as to why the team made the move now, and who was behind it.

A sampling:

Browns 7, Broncos 7

What happened: The Broncos scored first on Ryan Torain's 1-yard run...The Browns tied it on Brady Quinn's five-yard touchdown pass to Kellen Winslow, Quinn's first career TD.

Notes: Quinn completed 4-of-5 passes for 39 yards in the first quarter. ... The Broncos came out throwing and Jay Cutler was 7-of-11 for 128 yards in the first quarter. .. Broncos receiver Brandon Marshall made a nice move inside of Brandon McDonald for a 34-yard reception. Later on the same drive, Eddie Royal burned Eric Wright on a double move for an 18-yard catch to the Cleveland 1, setting up Torain's TD run. ... Neither team managed much pressure, and the teams combined for 251 offensive yards.

-- John Dudley

Browns 20, Broncos 10

What happened: The Browns went ahead 17-7 on a 24-yard Phil Dawson field goal and Quinn's second TD pass to Winslow. ... The Broncos cut it to seven on Matt Prater's 38-yard field goal, but Dawson nailed a 52-yarder with 1:09 left in the half to make it 20-10.

Notes: Broncos running backs Ryan Torain (sprained knee) and Selvin Young (groin) both left the game with injuries and are questionable to return. Denver already was missing Michael Pittman, who went on injured reserve. ... At halftime, Quinn is 11-of-15 for 102 yards and two TDs, giving him a 131.1 passer rating. ... Winslow has six catches for 50 yards and is the early front-runner to become Quinn's favorite target. ... Just before halftime, a fan in the west end zone held up a sign reading: "Obama, Quinn: The change we need."

-- John Dudley

Browns 23, Broncos 13

What happened: The teams traded field goals, with Phil Dawson hitting from 33 yards to extended the Browns' lead to 23-10 and Matt Prater nailing a 30-yarder with 5:37 left in the quarter. ... The Browns were driving when the quarter ended.

Notes: Browns nose tackle Shaun Rodgers left with a stinger. His return is questionable. ... Broncos running back Ryan Torain is out for the game with a knee injury. ... Braylon Edwards has one catch for 15 yards and one false start penalty for five yards. ... Through three quarters Quinn is 17-of-23 for 163 yards.

-- John Dudley

Broncos 34, Browns 30

What happened: On the fourth play of the fourth quarter, Jay Cutler hit Eddie Royal on a 93-yard touchdown pass. Royal caught the ball near midfield and Brandon McDonald, who was burned on the play, dove for Royal and missed. ... The Broncos took the lead on Cutler's 28-yard scoring pass to Daniel Graham. ... Brady Quinn led the Browns to a touchdown to re-take the lead, 30-27. ... Cutler drove the Broncos to the winning touchdown on a pass to Brandon Marshall in the final 1 1/2 minutes.

Notes: Josh Cribbs had a 43-yard kickoff return after Royal's touchdown. ... Browns NT Shaun Rodgers returned after suffering a stinger in the third quarter.

-- John Dudley

It's the time of the year when injuries leave contending teams shorthanded, and those that can scratch up enough quality depth from their cap-suppressed rosters usually wind up staying in the race.

Last week's big backup winners were the Steelers, who went on the road and beat the Redskins with backup QB Byron Leftwich to move to 6-2; the Bears, who got an unlikely heroic performance from Rex Grossman after starter Kyle Orton went down; and the Ravens, who were missing three starters from their secondary yet managed just enough defense to hold off the Browns.

On to last week's picks and results:

Checking in from Heinz Field, where the big news is that Ben Roethlisberger is active and apparently will start at quarterback against the Colts today. Roethlisberger was not among the inactives distributed in the press box, and there was no indication that backup Byron Leftwich would start.

Steelers 7, Colts 7

Notes and observations:

-- The Steelers are going after Colts CB Tim Jennings. Ben Roethlisberger completed big passes passes to Santonio Holmes and Nate Washington on the opening drive, which resulted in a touchdown. Jennings was beaten on both throws. The Colts are missing their other starting corner, Kelvin Hayden. Keiwan Ratliff is starting in Hayden's place.

-- I would love to know if someone has kept track of how many times Ike Taylor has had an interception in his hands and failed to make the catch. It's possible that in a dodgeball match between Taylor and Braylon Edwards, no one would ever make a catch.

-- Aaron Smith looks good so far, with a tackle for loss and a big sack. That was Smith's 40th career sack, if you're keeping track.

-- The Steelers are picking their spots to blitz. They rushed only three on third-and-26 late in the quarter, and Peyton Manning threw incomplete into double coverage.

-- Roethlisberger seemed to take a long time to get loose during pre-game warm-ups but has thrown the ball fine so far.

-- Haven't heard Bob Sanders' name called much. He flew in on a running play and got a hand on Mewelde Moore's left leg but missed the tackle.

-- John Dudley

Steelers 17, Colts 14

Notes and observations:

-- The Steelers' flea flicker looked like something a youth football team drew up in the dirt and it almost blew up two different ways. Ben Roethlisberger had to sidestep onrushing Colts LB Clint Sessions, and S Bob Sanders nearly sliced in a picked off his deep pass. But the net result was a catch by Hines Ward to the Colts' 1, setting up a TD on the next play. As Coach Machiavelli says, the end justifies the means.

-- Ike Taylor is working on making up for tipping that touchdown pass to Reggie Wayne. Taylor made nice plays to break up two passes to Wayne on the Colts' first drive of the second quarter.

-- That bakery truck that leveled Dallas Clark was driven by Ryan Clark. But Dallas Clark appears to be okay.

-- Can't help thinking that as recently as two years ago Marvin Harrison has no trouble running down those two long passes from Peyton Manning, instead of having them go off his outstretched hands. The second was definitely a touchdown.

-- Jeff Reed moved into second place on the Steelers' all-time field goals list with his 147th, putting him ahead of Roy Gerela.

-- Manning, who asked by reporters in Indianapolis earlier this week if he is slumping, definitely appears to be pressing a little. He has thrown into double coverage a few times, and Troy Polamalu almost picked off his pass for Dallas Clark late in the second quarter for what probably would have been a touchdown.

-- Definitely a gamble by Tony Dungy, opting to have Manning throw into the end zone with nine seconds left in the half instead of taking the sure field goal. The Colts had just taken their last time out, and a sack probably would have ended the half. None of this matters if Roethlisberger, who has thrown six interceptions in his last 62 pass attempts, doesn't give the Colts new life with a bad pick to Keiwan Ratliff at the Steelers' 30, changing the momentum. Could Santonio Holmes have made an effort to break up the interception? He seemed to stay back once it was clear the ball was underthrown.

-- John Dudley

Steelers 17, Colts 17

Notes and observations:

-- The Colts' offense came out with a lot more rhythm on their opening drive of the quarter. Payton Manning looks more comfortable than he did in the first half completing short passes to Marvin Harrison, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez. The Colts are also finding some mismatches, getting Clark and Gonzalez against linebackers.

-- Another drop by Harrison, which is amazing considering how money he used to be. This one would have been another touchdown. It will be interesting to see how the Colts handle Harrison in the offseason, considering he will turn 37 next year.

-- Ike Taylor picked up his second assist, tipping the ball for a completion to Reggie Wayne. Is that a stat?

-- The feel of the game definitely changed after Ben Roethlisberger's interception late in the first half. The Steelers' offense hasn't done much. It will be interesting to see if the defense can continue to hold on in the fourth quarter, because right now it looks like the Steelers will have trouble generating much more than a field goal the rest of the way.

-- John Dudley

After a Super Bowl win, NFL defensive player of the year award and multiple Pro Bowl and all-Pro selections, Erie native and Colts safety Bob Sanders is no stranger to media attention.

But it's not every day that a reporter from the city where he now plays visits his hometown for a look-see.

WISH-TV, the CBS affiliate in Indianapolis, will air an interview tonight with Sanders and his parents, Marion and Jean, headlined "See the softer side of the 'Hitman.' "

(The Steelers wouldn't have minded seeing more of that side of Sanders in their 24-20 loss Sunday at Heinz Field, when John Dudley caught up with Sanders as well).

Check out the preview video and story. If that's not enough Sanders, look back at Sanders' summer camp in Erie this year, as well as a pre-camp meeting with a special fan, with popular videos from GoErie.com:

As we waited outside the Colts' locker room Sunday, a colleague said, half-jokingly, that he thought maybe Ben Roethlisberger is past his prime.

I said I just think he's hurt, and that pride and competitiveness are keeping Roethlisberger from giving in to shoulder and thumb injuries that obviously are affecting the way he throws passes at certain times.

Right now it's easy to make the argument that while it's killing the Steelers' offense to have Willie Parker and Heath Miller out with injuries, it's killing them more to have their franchise quarterback attempting to play hurt.

My take is pretty simple. Roethlisberger grudgingly acknowledges that he's not healthy, even if he shrugs off suggestions that it's affecting his play.

"I'm more drained emotionally than anything," he said after Sunday's 24-20 loss to the Colts. "Physically, I'm okay."

But if he is less than 100 percent, which seems obvious, and if he's not performing up to par -- which his one touchdown and eight interceptions in his past three games seems to make abundantly clear -- then he needs to sit and get well.

The reason the Steelers have kept Charlie Batch around all these years, and the reason they went out and signed Byron Leftwich when Batch went down, is that they wanted a veteran backup to step in in case Big Ben went down.

The Steelers have their contingency plan, so don't be afraid to use it.

It's the willingness to play with injuries that makes football so much different from baseball. If Roethlisberger were a No. 1 starting pitcher battling an arm problem, he would be removed from the rotation and sent to rehab, while a replacement was called up from the minors or acquired to fill his spot in the interim.

In football, a hurting quarterback is probably just as likely to try to grind it out, even if it's not the best thing for the team.

-- John Dudley

If you haven't seen them yet, these Coors Light press conference commercial parodies of Steelers coach Mike Tomlin on YouTube are hysterical, right down to the Donnie Iris music playing in the background. Make sure to check out some of the other versions. Thanks to my buddy Buff, a huge Steelers fan, for pointing them out.

-- John Dudley

1. N.Y. Giants (8-1) -- No, I have forgotten about the Titans. But the G-Men have won in Philly, Pittsburgh and Dallas, and winning big road games is what it's all about in the NFL.

2. Tennessee (9-0) -- I know things are tough in the Happy Valley right now, but at least Kerry Collins is giving JoePa another unbeaten team to root for.

3. Carolina (7-2) -- They're not easy to love, but how can you rank the Panthers any lower with their record and their defense?

4. N.Y. Jets (6-3) -- They can score, play defense and run the ball, and now that the snow is starting to fall in the East, it's starting to feel like Brett Favre time.

5. Tampa Bay (6-3) -- They had the bye week to prepare for a stretch that includes Minnesota, New Orleans and Carolina over the next four weeks. We should know a lot more about them a month from now.

6. Arizona (6-3) -- When you've been bad as long as the Cardinals have been, it takes some time to earn respect. But they've become a legitimate contender in the NFC.

7. New England (6-3) -- Five of the Patriots' final seven opponents currently have winning records, and four of those games are on the road.

8. Baltimore (6-3) -- Whether you're a fan of Ray Lewis or not, it's impossible to overlook a team that's won four straight games, three of them on the road.

9. Indianapolis (5-4) -- Sunday in Pittsburgh, the Colts had the look of a team that could do some damage if they can get into the AFC playoff field.

10. Pittsburgh (6-3) -- The injured list is more impressive than the starting lineup right now, but remember that the Steelers are two bad fourth quarters away from being 8-1.

-- John Dudley

Okay, maybe I got a little cocky after picking Cincinnati to get its first win the week before. I should have known better than to go with winless Detroit last week against what seemed like a Jacksonville team in turmoil. Turns out no one does turmoil like the Lions. Isn't it great that we'll all get to watch them on Thanksgiving Day thanks to an NFL scheduling tradition that makes about as much sense as letting Al Davis continue to own the Raiders.

So I swear off picking the Lions for the rest of the...century.

On to last week's picks:

Former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis spoke at Penn State Behrend tonight as part of the college's speakers series. He also met with reporters for about 10 minutes afterward while a large group of fans waited in the hallway outside a classroom at Junker Center in hopes of meeting Bettis and having him sign everything from copies of his book to caps and jerseys.

Highlights from his remarks:

Maybe I'm a poor planner, but until a few days ago I didn't realize that this week I would be covering four NFL games in eight days, a career first. I'm calling it "The Mother of All NFL Trips," and it's the result of some quirky scheduling involving the Bills, Browns and Steelers.

Here are the games I will be covering:

-- Sunday: Chargers at Steelers, 4:15 p.m.

-- Monday: Browns at Bills, 8:30 p.m.

-- Thursday: Bengals at Steelers, 8:15 p.m.

-- Sunday (Nov. 23): Texans at Browns, 1 p.m.

I almost feel like I'm back on the baseball beat. But this should be fun, even if though four days of press box food could have a tragic effect on my arteries.

By next Sunday night, I will have driven about 870 miles, watched about 560 plays in person and including stories, columns and blog entries written roughly 9,800 words.

Considering the Browns, Steelers and Bills are a combined 1-4 the last five times I have covered them in person, I'm hoping to see something besides bad football.

And I'm also hoping I don't see this when I sit down to eat at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

-- John Dudley

Checking in from Heinz Field, where we're about an hour from kickoff between the Steelers and San Diego Chargers.

No big surprises among the pre-game inactives, with Max Starks starting for Marvel Smith at left tackle, Matt Spaeth starting for Heath Miller at tight end and William Gay starting for Deshea Townsend at right cornerback.

Gay, a second-year player from Louisville, is making his first career start.

The Steelers made one roster change, promoting cornerback Roy Lewis to the active roster and releasing wide receiver Dallas Baker.

It's blustery in Pittsburgh but there is no snow on the ground and just a few light flakes have been floating around. The sidewalks and roads are slick outside the stadium, but it doesn't appear the weather will have too much of an affect on the game.

Right now Jeff Reed is kicking field goals toward the open end of the stadium and there isn't much wind.

Inactives

Steelers

CB Bryant McFadden
CB Deshea Townsend
LB Bruce Davis
OL Tony Hills
OT Marvel Smith
TE Heath Miller
DE Orpheus Roye
QB Dennis Dixon

Chargers

CB Cletis Gordon
SS Steve Gregory
RB Michael Bennett
OG Kynan Forney
WR Buster Davis
TE Kris Wilson
DT Ian Scott
QB Charlie Whitehurst

-- John Dudley

Chargers 7, Steelers 0

Notes:

-- Tough call against Ike Taylor to set up the Chargers' touchdown. Based on the amount of contact, a five-yard illegal contact call might have seemed more appropriate instead of a 19-yard penalty that set up the Chargers with first-and-goal from the Pittsburgh 3.

-- The Chargers are getting steady pressure on Ben Roethlisberger, mostly by blitzing linebackers or defensive backs. They have two sacks so far, and the Steelers might need to start keeping a back in to add more pass protection. The second sack was by outside linebacker Jyles Tucker, who beat Max Starks on an inside move as Roethlisberger was trying to roll to his left.

-- Hines Ward's 30-yard catch on a low pass from Roethlisberger looked an awful lot like the low pass that Marvin Harrison couldn't handle in last week's game against the Colts.

-- By the way, that Eagles-Bengals tie was the NFL's first since the Steelers and Falcons tied 34-34 on Nov. 10, 2002, at Heinz Field.

-- John Dudley

Chargers 7, Steelers 5

Notes:

-- Second-year linebacker LaMarr Woodley is making steady progress. He made a nice play in the second quarter to break up a third-and-17 pass intended for Vincent Jackson. Earlier in the game Woodley slipped in coverage against Brandon Manumaleana, allowing a 17-yard gain. Woodley also dropped Ladainian Tomlinson for a three-yard loss.

-- The Steelers are really struggling with their short-yardage running game. Mewelde Moore got dropped for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-goal from the San Diego 1-yard-line in the first quarter, In the second quarter, linebacker Stephen Cooper came off a lead block by Carey Davis and stuffed Willie Parker for no gain on third-and-1 from the Pittsburgh 33, forcing a punt.

-- Special teams have not been sharp today for the Steelers. Punter Paul Ernster averaged 34.7 yards on three first-half punts, although one appeared to be affected by a bad snap. Jeff Reed missed a 51-yard field goal attempt wide left. And Anthony Smith was flagged 15 yards for fair catch interference on a punt.

-- The Steelers hold a big edge in time of possession (18:36-11:24) and total yards. Roethlisberger had a big first half, completing 19-of-23 passes for 189 yards. His shoulder seems fine. He made a strong throw on a deep out to Santonio Holmes to set up Reed's 23-yard field goal just before the half.

-- John Dudley

Steelers 8, Chargers 7

Notes:

-- The wind isn't blowing that hard, but a second field-goal attempt went wide, this one a 42-yard try by San Diego's Nate Kaedling. The miss allowed the Steelers to retain an 8-7 lead.

-- Trai Essex went in for one play at right guard for Darnell Stapleton, who was shaken up on a running play late in the quarter.

-- An adjustment in the short running game has paid dividends. Twice on third-and-1 plays the Steelers gave the ball to Gary Russell. He got six yards on the first, sustaining a drive that ended with Jeff Reed's field goal for an 8-7 lead. The second time Russell gained four yards to the San Diego 44. The Steelers were driving on that possession when the quarter ended. Tight end Sean McHugh went in motion and threw a big block on the second third-and-1 pickup.

-- The Steelers have substantial edges in time of possession (29:16-15:44), total yards (339-135) and total plays (57-31) through three quarters.

-- John Dudley

In an interview with a pool reporter, referee Scott Green explained the final play in Sunday's Steelers-Chargers game. Troy Polamalu appeared to score on a fumble return after three San Diego laterals on the Chargers' final play.

Officials initially let the score stand on the field but it was overturned by a booth review.

Below is a transcript of Green's interview with Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Reporter: "What happened on the final play of the game?''

Green: "There were several passes. The first pass was illegal, an illegal forward pass. The second pass was backwards. The rule that kills the play is if it hits the ground. There was some confusion on which illegal forward pass we were discussing, and it was decided that the illegal forward pass hit the ground and that would have killed the play, and there was no time remaining so that would end the game.''

Reporter: "The ball was dead once it hit the ground?''

Green: "Yes.''

Reporter: "What is the process of reviewing this?''

Green: "The normal review was a minute. You have a minute to look at it on the screen. The first pass was the one that was illegal, but it only kills the play if it hits the ground. That was incorrect to have killed that at that point. The ruling should have let the play go on. That's just the way that it played out. We believe the second pass was legal.''

Reporter: "So the play was ruled dead because the first pass hit the ground?''

Green: "That's what we ruled, but it didn't hit the ground because it was thrown forward. The rule is if he possesses it, you can let the play go on. If he drops it or it hits the ground, then you kill the play.''

Reporter: "So if the first pass didn't hit the ground, why was the play killed?''

Green: "We didn't kill it on the field. After discussion we decided … there was some confusion over which pass we were talking about, and it was decided that it was the second pass that was illegal that did hit the ground, and therefore we killed the play there.''

Reporter: "But the second pass was legal?''

Green: "I know. The rule was misinterpreted.''

Reporter: "So it should have been a touchdown?''

Green: "We should have let the play go through in the end, yes. It was misinterpreted that instead of killing the play, we should have let the play go through.''

-- John Dudley

Notes and quotes from Sunday's game that didn't make it into Monday's newspaper:

-- Like Indianapolis, San Diego played mostly a "Tampa 2" defense with two safeties deep that took away the Steelers' downfield passing game. As a result, Ben Roethlisberger threw 41 passes, completing 31 for 308 yards -- mostly on throws of 15 yards or shorter.

"We were taking what they were giving us and playing pitch and catch," coach Mike Tomlin said. "I thought that we did a very nice job of that."

Roethlisberger tried to hit Santonio Holmes on a deep sideline route early in the game, but the pass was slightly underthrown and San Diego's Quentin Jammer had good coverage.

Erie's Jared Doutt, who won an online contest to attend this year's Super Bowl, is back in the spotlight. (I've pasted our story about his Super Bowl trip below.)

I received this note from Jared's mother:

Check out the memo below from the president of NFL Network, who is adding the latest spin on the fight between cable companies and the league over carrying the network. This is especially timely this week, since Thursday's Bengals-Steelers game won't be available locally to Time Warner cable subscribers.

Here is the memo:

Checking in from Ralph Wilson Stadium, where folks in Erie will be delighted to know that...there...is...not...one...speck...of...snow...on...the...ground.

But it is cold -- cold enough that a few of the players warming up right now on the field are wearing sleeves, including Bills quarterback Trent Edwards. Not Brady Quinn, though. Quinn is in shirtsleeves, but it will be interesting to see if he slaps on another layer when he goes back into the locker room before kickoff.

Tonight's inactives:

Browns

Gerard Lawson
Hamza Abdullah
Lawrence Vickers
Beau Bell
Scott Young
Steve Sanders
Martin Rucker
Ken Dorsey

Bills

Justin Jenkins
Xavier Odom
Jason Whittle
Demetrius Bell
Josh Reed
Aaron Schobel
John McCargo
Gibran Hamdan

Lineup changes:

Bills

Duke Preston starts at center for Melvin Fowler
James Hardy starts at wide receiver for Reed
Ryan Denney starts at defensive end for Schobel

Browns

Charles Ali starts at fullback for Vickers
Travis Daniels starts at right cornerback for Brandon McDonald

-- John Dudley

Browns 6, Bills 0

Notes:

-- Another dropped pass by Braylon Edwards -- his league-leading 13th -- and it would have given the Browns first-and-goal on their second drive. Edwards made a nice leaping catch but simply lost the ball on his way to the ground.

-- After Trent Edwards threw two interceptions to Browns linebackers in his first three pass attempts, it will be interesting to see if the Bills continue to try to throw over the middle.

-- The naked bootleg Brady Quinn ran for a 12-yard gain is not a play we saw the Browns run with Derek Anderson.

-- Not sure if you could hear it on the ESPN telecast, but Bills fans let loose with boos after Edwards checked down and threw a pass for no gain to Marshawn Lynch on third-and-7 on the Bills' third offensive series.

-- Bills players donated tickets for several sailors from the U.S.S. Freedom to attend tonight's game. The Freedom is in port in Buffalo. The sailors were pre-game guests in the press box, where the Bills served Thanksgiving dinner tonight.

-- Kawika Mitchell is lightning fast on blitzes through the A gaps, as he showed in dumping Quinn on an incomplete pass on third-and-2 from the Cleveland 34. Mitchell got in so quickly that Quinn had no chance to check down to a hot receiver.

-- Edwards just looks sort of lost tonight. His third pick went right to Brandon McDonald, who appeared to bait Edwards by laying back in the flat while Edwards tried to hit Steve Johnson.

-- Big lift for the Bills' defense, holding the Browns to field goals after two of Edwards' three interceptions and forcing a punt following the third. What could have been a huge hole instead is a manageable 6-0 deficit.

-- John Dudley

Browns 13, Bills 10

-- There were questions about whether Quinn would throw deep after the Browns went conservative in his first start against Denver. But four of his first five attempts in the second quarter were longer than 15 yards. He completed three of them, two on play action throws to Braylon Edwards. Quinn also threw deep to Donte' Stallworth in the end zone from 32 yards out.

-- Nice offensive mix so far from the Browns. Quinn on the naked bootleg. The play-action passes. The sweep to Jamal Lewis, who normally runs between the tackle. And the little inside handoff to Josh Cribbs for a two-yard touchdown run and a 13-0 lead. Maybe Rob Chudzinski will get some credit for a more imaginative offensive game plan tonight?

-- Fred Jackson gave the Bills a much-needed spark on their touchdown drive. After Marshawn Lynch ground out 29 yards on his first nine carries, Jackson came in and looked like a flash, getting 28 yards on his first two attempts. That set up Lynch's 18-yard touchdown catch, the first scoring reception of his career. If you didn't see it, be sure to check out a highlight of Lynch's catch, on which he caught a short pass near the Browns sideline and cut and weaved across the field before twisting into the end zone.

-- The Lynch touchdown put some much-needed life into a crowd that has been waiting to explode but didn't have to cheer for after Edwards was picked off on the first offensive play.

-- Laugh if you want at the basketball-style warm-up sweats Rian Lindell sometimes wears over his uniform pants on the sideline, but he pounds kickoffs. He just sent one through the end zone on a rope. He went right back to the bench and snapped the sweats back on.

-- The press box announcer updated the ankle injury on Sean Jones, whose return is questionable.

-- The Browns' tackling is suspect tonight. Lynch has two short catches that he turned into substantial gains because of missed tackles.

-- Those early failures by the Browns to get touchdowns instead of field goals are coming back to haunt them now that the Bills have cut their lead to 13-10 at the half.

-- The Browns will get the ball to start the second half.

-- John Dudley

Browns 16, Bills 13

-- Jabari Greer is out for the game with a knee injury. The Browns have lost Sean Jones and Shaun Smith for the game with injuries.

-- Fred Jackson's fumble is the Bills' fourth turnover tonight. They came in having turned the ball over 16 times in nine games. Their turnover ratio for the season is now minus-9.

-- The fumble led to a Phil Dawson 43-yard field goal, giving the Browns nine points off of Bills turnovers tonight.

-- This just has the feel of a game in which the Browns have allowed the Bills to hang around. Despite four turnovers -- and none by the Browns -- the Bills trail only by three entering the fourth quarter. And they're at home.

-- John Dudley

1. N.Y. Giants (9-1) -- Amazing what a disciplinarian coach, a steady, no-frills quarterback and a great defense can do these days. (Last week: 1)

2. Tennessee (10-0) -- Now if we could just get Jeff Fisher to grow out his hair a little Camaro-heads everywhere would jump on the Titans bandwagon. (Last week: 2)

3. Carolina (8-2) -- Hope Bill Cowher didn't move to the Carolinas thinking John Fox was about to get fired. (Last week: 3)

4. N.Y. Jets (7-3) -- Quite a win over the Patriots, but let's see how they follow it up. (Last week: 4)

5. Tampa Bay (7-3) -- Jeff Garcia and the Bucs have had all the right answers so far. (Last week: 5)

6. Arizona (6-3) -- Maybe Kurt Warner should consider hiring himself out to rescue a different forlorn NFL franchise every year. Next stop: Detroit? (Last week: 6)

7. Indianapolis (6-4) -- The Colts' running game appears to be coming around, which could allow Peyton Manning to start looking like himself again. (Last week: 9)

8. Pittsburgh (7-3) -- They had to win ugly against San Diego, but the Steelers seem to ready to get on a roll. (Last week: 10)

9. Miami (6-4) -- Give Tony Sparano credit for scaring the bad out of the Dolphins this season. (Last week: NR)

10. Denver (6-4) -- The Broncos have been some wild rides already, but they've got enough offense to beat anyone. (Last week: NR)

Dropped out: New England (7), Baltimore (8).

-- John Dudley

What is it with the Browns that they can't get through a week without turning their Berea headquarters into a soap-opera set?

The latest shenanigans involve an apparent e-mail exchange between general manager Phil Savage and a disgruntled fan in which Savage dropped an implied version of the BIG EXPLETIVE in his reply.

The story originally broke on Deadspin.com, and coach Romeo Crennel confirmed it this afternoon.

-- John Dudley

Checking in from Heinz Field, where there are no big surprises on the pre-game inactives lists:

Steelers

Bryant McFadden
Deshea Townsend
Roy Lewis
Bruce Davis
Tony Hills
Marvel Smith
Orpheus Roye
Dennis Dixon

Bengals

Chinedum Ndukwe
Eric Henderson
Scott Kooistra
Levi Jones
Andrew Whitworth
Chad Johnson
Antwan Odom
Carson Palmer

-- John Dudley

Bengals 7, Steelers 0

Notes:

-- The Bengals have three offensive players making their first career starts. That includes third-year wideout Glenn Holt. Holt is in the lineup because the Bengals suspended star-crossed receiver Chad Johnson before the game. Several media outlets, including ESPN.com, reported that Johnson was suspended for violating team rules. Johnson had played in 113 straight games.

-- Paul Ernster's first two punts covered 33 and 28 yards, and the fans booed. The third went only 23 yards, but that's because Ernster was trying to angle it toward the sideline. It went out of bounds at the Cincinnati 17. The fans still booed. Seriously, would they rather have 36-year-old Mitch Berger and his two bad hammies?

-- Holt's touchdown catch was his first reception of the season. He ran straight toward the end zone camera and pointed to the one and the six on the front his jersey. Can you say diez y seis?

-- Mike Tomlin has been raving about Gary Russell. Russell made another big play tonight, returning the kickoff 43 yards to the Steelers 46 after the Bengals scored. But the Steelers couldn't capitalize. After getting a first down, Ben Roethlisberger threw too long for Santonio Holmes on third-and-long and they punted.

-- The Steelers have now gone eight quarters without a touchdown. They might be pressing a little. Roethlisberger has missed Santonio Holmes twice. And the running game is producing nothing. Willie Parker has four yards on five carries. The defense might have to come up big again tonight.

-- John Dudley

Steelers 10, Bengals 7

Notes:

-- Gary Russell made another big play. His second effort on a fourth-and-1 carry gave the Steelers first-and-goal at the Cincinnati 8. Remember that on fourth-and-goal Sunday against San Diego, Mewelde Moore was dropped for a one-yard loss. After the game coach Mike Tomlin hinted that Russell had earned the chance to run the ball in short-yardage situations. It didn't take long for him to cash in on that chance.

-- How much of a momentum shift did Russell's first down provide? The Steelers scored two plays later when Ben Roethlisberger hit Heath Miller on a three-yard touchdown pass to tie the score. Miller is active for the first time since Week 9 against Washington and had his first catches since Week 8. He has been out with an ankle injury.

-- Miller tied Bennie Cunningham for third on the Steelers all-time list for touchdown catches by a tight end with 20.

-- James Farrior had the big third-down hit on Chris Perry to force a punt after the Steelers scored. It will be worth nothing whether this gives the Steelers' offense a lift, like when a pitcher retires down the side in order right after after his offense puts up a few runs for him. Farrior had a monster half with nine tackles.

-- Willie Parker had five yards on seven carries until gaining six yards on a first-down run from the Steelers' 9-yard-line. He has only 14 yards on 11 carries at the half. The Steelers have rushed for only 24 yards on 13 carries.

-- The Bengals don't appear to be going after Steelers receiver Hines Ward. Ward broke rookie linebacker Keith Rivers' jaw with a crushing block in the first meeting between the teams. Rivers is out for the season. There had been talk this week that the Bengals might retaliate. Ward has one reception for 37 yards and he wasn't hit on the play. He ducked out of bounds.

-- Rookie mistake by rookie wide receiver Limas Sweed, who had a punt go off of his leg in the final 1 1/2 minutes. The Bengals recovered at the Steelers 39 with 1:00 left in the half. Sweed was getting blocked when the ball brushed his leg. There were about five Bengals right there, and one of them knocked Sweed over so Rashad Jeanty could recover it. The play was upheld by a booth review. The Bengals couldn't capitalize, though. Willie Gay broke up Ryan Fitzpatrick's fourth-down pass intended for T.J. Houshmandzadeh with 28 seconds left.

-- John Dudley

Steelers 20, Bengals 7

Notes:

-- Chris Crocker's hit on Santonio Holmes appeared to be legal. Expect the Steelers to take a close look at it Friday, though. They have felt targeted by the league for hard hits, including hits earlier this season that drew $30,000 in fines despite not being penalized.

-- Mike Tomlin didn't like it, but the pass interference call against Nate Washington that nullified Hines Ward's 42-yard catch was correct. Washington picked David Jones on the play while Jones was running in coverage with Ward. Let's just say that Tomlin has been a little sensitive about penalties since the Steelers were flagged 13 times to San Diego's two on Sunday.

-- Willie Parker has not gone back in since picking up 15 yards early in the second half. There hasn't been an announcement in the press box about whether he is injured. He did not appear to be on the sideline when the quarter ended.

-- John Dudley

Final: Steelers 27, Bengals 10

Notes:

-- Coach Mike Tomlin said Willie Parker "tweaked" a knee injury and would be evaluated Friday. Parker didn't return after gaining 15 yards on a third-quarter run. Tomlin said he believed Parker aggravated the injury before that play.

-- Also expected to be evaluated today are defensive end Brett Keisel (knee) and receiver Santonio Holmes (concussion). Keisel went down in the fourth quarter. Holmes went out in the second half after a crushing hit by Bengals safety Chris Crocker. Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said the hit appeared to be clean.

-- Tomlin will give the players the next four days off. They will return Tuesday to begin getting ready for New England.

-- Bengals coach Marvin Lewis defended his decision to have Shayne Graham kick a 26-yard field goal trailing by 13 with under 7 minutes to play. The Steelers responded with a long touchdown drive to seal it. "In hindsight after they take the ball and drive it down the field it doesn't look very good taking the field goal there," Lewis said. "But I thought we had an opportunity kicking the ball off to have a play we had with that and get them stopped and get the ball back again."

-- Tomlin clearly was upset with punter Paul Ernster's performance. Ernster averaged 28.4 yards on five punts. "It was horrible," Tomlin said. "We'll address it." The Steelers brought back Ernster after releasing Mitch Berger, who had been struggling with hamstring problems. Berger beat out Ernster in training camp after starting punter Daniel Sepulveda went down with a season-ending injury.

-- The Steelers have allowed only nine points this season in the third quarter. They held the Bengals scoreless in the third quarter. "Guys set the tone," linebacker Larry Foote said. "We know that definitely that first series when we're out there is probably going to set the tone for the second half. You have to bow your back and stop them."

-- Running back Gary Russell celebrated his first career touchdown run by tracking down the ball after the game. "I've never had a problem with my confidence level," said Russell, an undrafted free agent from Minnesota whose role has been limited until now. "It's just been about getting an opportunity to do something."

-- The Steelers closed a stretch of three straight home games with two wins. Three of their final five games are on the road -- at New England, at Baltimore and at Tennessee. They host Dallas Dec. 7 and finish the season against the Browns at Heinz Field on Dec. 28.

-- John Dudley

Last week

Straight up: 12-4
Spread: 9-7

Season

Straight up: 102-57
Spread: 91-68

The pick: Jets at Patriots (-3 ½): It just feels right to start drinking the Favre Kool-Aid again. Jets, 20-17

The reality: Jets, 34-31. Karma prevailed, as Brett Favre slayed the evil Patriots dragon.

The pick: Broncos at Falcons (-5 ½): This assumes the Falcons won’t pull a Browns-esque fourth-quarter collapse. Falcons, 28-21

The reality: Broncos, 24-20. The Falcons remain everybody's NFC darling, but the Broncos have proven to be a tough out.

The pick: Raiders at Dolphins (-10 ½): Like the Dolphins, but not to cover this monster spread. Dolphins, 23-16

The reality: Dolphins, 17-15. And Raider Nation weeps on, another week closer to Al Davis' next coaching blunder.

The pick: Ravens at Giants (-6 ½): Someone could stove a finger when these hard-hitting teams get together. Giants, 24-17

The reality: Giants, 30-10. These G-men just want you to say it out loud -- "2007 was no fluke."

The pick: Texans at Colts (-8 ½): Just think how good Indy would be if Marvin Harrison could still catch. Colts, 31-20

The reality: Colts, 33-27. There were a few hairy moments until Peyton Manning got the offense untracked, but the Colts look pretty formidable again.

The pick: Titans (-3) at Jaguars: Maybe the toughest call of the week. Remind yourself that was the Lions Jacksonville beat up on last week. Jaguars, 17-13

The reality: Titans, 24-14. Love the way the Titans just show up and take care of business. Explain to me again why they can't go 16-0?

The pick: Bears at Packers (-5 ½): A chance for the Packers to tighten things up in the NFC North. Packers, 23-17

The reality: Packers, 37-3. Nice of the Bears to show up for this one. This is actually a division title contender?

The pick: Eagles (-9) at Bengals: The way the Eagles gave up rushing yards to the Giants, who knows. Nah, it’s the Bungles. Eagles, 38-13

The reality, 13-13. Some good came of this. Donovan McNabb finally experienced the sensation of an NFL tie.

The pick: Saints (-4 ½) at Chiefs: Good opportunity for a bounce-back game that keeps the Saints alive in the NFC playoff race. Saints, 35-21

The reality: Saints, 30-22. Look out now, the Saints finally figured out to win away from their dome.

The pick: Lions at Panthers (-14): Points, first downs, positive yards. All will be hard to come by for the Lions today. Panthers, 24-3

The reality: Panthers, 31-22. The Lions aren't necessarily cowards, they're just really, really bad.

The pick: Vikings at Bucs (-4): It should come down to whether the Bucs’ defense can tackle Adrian Peterson. Bucs, 23-19

The reality: Bucs, 19-13. For the first time since their Super Bowl run, the Bucs and their coach have that look again.

The pick: Rams at 49ers (-4): To borrow a phrase from my buddy Huey, sometimes bad is bad. 49ers, 20-16

The reality: 49ers, 35-16. Two serious underachievers slug it out in the sewer.

The pick: Cardinals (-3 ½) at Seahawks: Sure, this seems like a dangerous game for Arizona. But Kurt Warner should have his way with Seattle’s defense. Cardinals, 28-24

The reality: Cardinals, 26-20. they're having some fun out in the desert right now.

The pick: Chargers at Steelers (-4): Expect a bounce-back game from Ben Roethlisberger against the Chargers’ sub-par defense. Steelers, 24-20

The reality: Steelers, 11-10. You had to wonder who was paying the officials to do this game.

The pick: Cowboys (-2 ½) at Redskins: Tony Romo is back, which should really calm things down for the Cowboys. Yeah, right. Cowboys, 27-24

The reality: Cowboys, 14-10. Mood swing alert -- everybody's happy again in Big D.

The pick: Browns at Bills (-4): Start of a three-game stretch against losing teams for the Bills, who really need it. Bills, 26-21

The reality: Browns, 29-27. Good win for the Browns, although Phil Savage probably should have gone to bed before checking his e-mails.

-- John Dudley

Looks like Kellen Winslow will play. He is not listed among the Browns' inactives and wasn't among their late lineup changes. That's good news for Brady Quinn, who loves to throw to Winslow.

Inactives

Browns

Ken Dorsey
Travis Daniels
Hamza Adbullah
Kris Griffin
Scott Young
Steve Sanders
Martin Rucker
Shaun Smith

Texans

Matt Schaub
Cecil Sapp
Will Demps
Kevis Coley
Kasey Studdard
Rashad Butler
Mark Bruener
Frank Okam

Bright and sunny, but cold today in Cleveland. I'll have an update with notes and some quick analysis after the first quarter,

-- John Dudley

Texans 7, Browns 0

Notes:

-- Watch the Kevin Walter-Brandon McDonald matchup the rest of the day. Sage Rosenfels went to Walter against McDonald three times on Houston's opening drive. The first was a five-yard gain. The second was an eight-yard gain on third-and-5. The third was a jump-ball in the end zone with McDonald in single coverage that went for a 17-yard touchdown. The 6-foot-3 Walter has a five-inch height advantage on McDonald.

-- Jamal Lewis' fumble was his first this season. He fumbled four times last season and lost two of them. He had been on track for his third season without losing a fumble. He didn't lose fumbles in 2000 and 2004.

-- Brady Quinn's broken finger doesn't appear to be limiting him. He made on-target throws on his only three pass attempts of the first quarter, completing a nine-yarder to Braylon Edwards; throwing a short pass that Kellen Winslow dropped; and completing a check-down pass to Lewis on the second-and-20 play on which Lewis fumbled.

-- Darnell Dinkins left with an ankle injury. His return is questionable.

-- The Texans snapped 21 plays to the Browns' five in the quarter.

-- John Dudley

Texans 13, Browns 6

Notes:

-- Brady Quinn is trying to go to Kellen Winslow. His first pass for Winslow in the quarter was into tight coverage and went incomplete. Winslow wanted a flag, but it looked like a good no-call. The second came on third-and-6 from the Houston 14 and Quinn appeared to throw the ball before Winslow was expecting it coming off of a cut to the sidelines.

-- Shaun Rogers' blocked field goal was his second this season. He has 13 in his career. We'll see if that play does something to spark the Browns' defense, which has been run over so far.

-- That 42-yard catch by Braylon Edwards to the Houston 19? That's why the Browns drafted him. Only a handful of receivers in the league make that play.

-- Then again, a lot of receivers catch the ball over the middle, thrown slightly behind Edwards, that he couldn't handle three plays later. The Browns had to settle for Phil Dawson's second field goal of the quarter.

-- The Browns haven't come close to stopping Houston's offense. The Texans drove at least to the Cleveland 31 on each of their first three drives of the half. Sage Rosenfels completed 16-of-20 passes -- one of those was an intentional spike to kill the clock -- for 190 yards and a touchdown. The Texans also rushed for 73 yards and didn't punt.

-- The Texans converted three times on fourth down, twice on Ahman Green runs and once on a 23-yard pass from Rosenfels to Andre Johnson that went to the Browns' 13-yard-line just before halftime. That led to Kris Brown's 31-yard field goal with three seconds left in the half.

-- Darnell Dinkins is back.

-- John Dudley

Texans 16, Browns 6

Notes:

-- Brady Quinn has played like a quarterback making his third career start this quarter. His two interceptions came on throws he shouldn't have made. On the first, defensive end Anthony Weaver dropped back into his passing lane to Braylon Edwards for an easy interception. On the second, Quinn again tried to go to Edwards on third-and-2 from the Houston 12, but Fred Bennett had tight coverage and made the interception. That killed a great opportunity for the Browns to cut into the Texans' 16-6 lead.

-- Sage Rosenfels also threw a bad interception on a pass behind Owen Daniels that Brodney Pool picked off. But Rosenfels' defense picked him up. Mario Williams stormed in unblocked and whipped Jamal Lewis to the ground for a four-yard loss on first down, and Quinn threw his first interception on the next play. They led to a Kris Brown 36-yard field goal.

-- Lewis did some nice running on the drive on which Quinn was intercepted deep in Houston territory. He had six carries for 42 yards, including 16 yards on the first play of the drive and 10 yards on a fake end-around.

-- John Dudley

1. N.Y. Giants (10-1) -- Somewhere in Jersey Tom Coughlin wakes up in the morning and asks, "Explain to me again how we lost by three touchdowns to these guys?" (Last week: 1)

2. N.Y. Jets (8-3) -- In New York they're already daydreaming about a Subway Super Bowl. God, please blind us now. (Last week: 4)

3. Tennessee (10-1) -- Hey, it was one loss. It's not the Titans have suddenly become a bad team. (Last week: 2)

4. Tampa Bay (8-3) -- It's looking more and more like the Bucs will find something special under their Christmas trees this year. (Last week: 5)

5. Pittsburgh (8-3) -- Back-to-back home wins have the Steelers living large again. (Last week: 8)

6. Indianapolis (7-4) -- In the fourth quarter of their win in San Diego, the Colts were starting to look like they look when they are playing like they are in someone's backyard scoring on just about every possession. (Last week: 7)

7. New England (7-4) -- Overheard in the Boston area this week: "Mr. Cassel, I played with Tom Brady. I knew Tom Brady. Tom Brady was a friend of mine. Mr. Cassel, you're no Tom Brady." (Last week: NR)

8. Carolina (8-3) -- Did someone forget to send the Panthers the memo explaining that Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino are gone, so teams actually have to devise game plans when they play the Falcons now? (Last week: 3)

9. Arizona (7-4) -- I don't care if they did lose to the Giants on Sunday. In my book, the Cardinals still are definitely worth watching. (Last week: 4)

10. Dallas (7-4) -- Now that the Cowboys are good again, Jerry Jones can go back to the plastic surgeon and have his smile re-installed. (Last week: NR)

Dropped out: Miami (9), Denver (10).

-- John Dudley

Things I'm thinking before leaving for the stadium for today's Colts-Browns game:

1. How will Derek Anderson react to his return at quarterback? It's his first start since being replaced by Brady Quinn four games ago. Before losing his job, Anderson was holding onto the ball too long and making generally poor decisions. Not that he was getting much help from his receivers. The thought is that Anderson could be auditioning for another team over the final five weeks, especially if the Browns make a coaching change.

2. The Browns have hung right with playoff-caliber teams in three of their past four home games. They beat the Giants, then blew big second-half leads against the Ravens and Broncos. If they can manage a similarly strong start today against the Colts and somehow finish it off, it would be a huge lift, even though this team isn't headed for the playoffs. The Colts have been one of the AFC's hottest teams with four straight wins. While there probably will be significant roster turnover in Cleveland at the end of the season, beating the Colts would generate some goodwill among fans and give the younger players who will be back something to build on.

3. I can't help but wonder how much of a difference a healthy Joe Jurevicius might have made this season. Jurevicius is no home-run guy, which is why the Browns went out and acquired Donte' Stallworth in what's shaping up to be an epically bad offseason move. But Jurevicius was the best clutch receiver on the team, and you have to assume he would have made some of those big third-down catches early in the season that Braylon Edwards and friends dropped. Who knows what that might have meant to a team that lost two of its first six games by four and three points.

4. Now that it appears that Romeo Crennel might actually be a lame duck, it should be interesting to see how the fans react to whatever decisions Crennel is confronted with today, especially in field goal/touchdown situations and whenever he is forced to invoke his clock-management skills. Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the league in the two-minute drill, so in a close game late, any decision Crennel makes with respect to the clock could be critical.

5. The weather forecast is calling for steady drizzle and temperatures in the upper 30s in Cleveland this afternoon. Ordinarily that would be a huge home-field advantage for the Browns against a dome team. But it also wouldn't be a shock to see thousands of empty seats on a holiday weekend when people can sit at home and nibble on leftover turkey and watch the game on TV rather than squeezing into that 87-cent rain poncho and freezing for three hours.

-- John Dudley

Colts safety and Erie native Bob Sanders is inactive today and will not play against the Browns. Sanders has missed three straight games with inflammation on his knee after undergoing surgery to repair loose cartilage.

Other inactives:

Browns

Travis Daniels
Hamza Abdullah
Joe Collins
Kris Griffin
Titus Brown
Ahtyba Rubin
Scott Young
Darnell Dinkins

Colts

Brandon Foster
Buster Davis
Jeff Saturday
Jamie Petrowski
Roy Hall
Daniel Muir
Curtis Johnson

Melvin Bullitt will start for Sanders at strong safety.

As expected, the Browns placed quarterback Brady Quinn on injured reserve, ending his season. The Browns signed tight end Jed Collins to fill the open roster spot.

-- John Dudley

Browns 3, Colts 3

Notes:

-- It had to be a small victory for the Colts to hold the Browns to a field goal after Joseph Addai fumbled and Erie Wright recovered on Indianapolis' first offensive snap.

-- Romeo Crennel might be on the hot seat, but he had the Browns coming out conservative. After Wright's fumble recovery, the Browns ran the ball on their first eight plays, moving from the Colts 47 to the 29, where Derek Anderson threw a swing pass to Jason Wright for three yards on third-and-8 out of a four-wideout set.

-- The Colts' second drive was textbook Peyton Manning. Manning hit Marvin Harrison for a 15-yard gain on first down (nice corner blitz pickup by Joseph Addai). Manning later checked into a run by Addai on second-and-1 to pick up the first down, then immediately shifted to the no huddle to move the Colts quickly inside the Browns' 10-yard line. Indy had to settle for a field goal after right tackle Ryan Diem jumped on third-and-6 from the Cleveland 7 and Reggie Wayne dropped a perfectly-thrown touchdown pass on third-and-11.

-- CBS' cameras caught fans holding a sign reading "Cowher Power" and advertising the Web site cowher09.com, which, not surprisingly, calls for former Steelers coach Bill Cowher to replace Romeo Crennel next season. A message on the site's main page reads, in part: "It is our opinion at Cowher09.com that the Browns are in dire need of a head coaching change. Though there are many qualified coaches available, one stands out above the rest."

-- First quarter passing yards: Colts 44, Browns 6.

-- Each team held the ball for exactly 7 1/2 minutes.

-- Manning was 5-for-6 for 44 yards in the quarter, Anderson was 2-for-2 for 6 yards.

-- John Dudley

Browns 6, Colts 3

Notes:

-- One of the criticisms of the Browns' coaching staff this season has been play-calling. On their second series, which overlapped the first and second quarters, the Browns reached first-and-goal at the Indy 9 on a crisp 16-yard slant from Derek Anderson to Braylon Edwards. But they never threw a pass into the end zone after that on the drive. Anderson tried to force a short pass to Kellen Winslow on first down and it fell incomplete. Jamal Lewis picked up one yard on second down, and Anderson scrambled out of a crumbling pocket for no gain on third down. That set up a short Phil Dawson field goal.

-- On that drive, the Browns' marked a season-high for time of possession on a drive at 9:23. The drive covered 16 plays, matching their season high.

-- Browns defensive end Corey Williams left the game with an arm laceration and his return is questionable.

-- The Browns now have gone six straight quarters without a touchdown. They have 12 points in that span.

-- They have given up plenty of yards, but the Browns' defense is keeping them in this game so far. Twice the Colts have driven to first-and-goal and come away with only a field goal. The second time, in the final two minutes, Manning checked into a Joseph Addai running play on third-and-goal from the 1 and the interior of the Browns' defense stuffed Addai for no gain. That play survived a booth review. Manning kept it on fourth down and fumbled outside the goal line. Dallas Clark recovered in the end zone, but by rule only the fumbling player can recover in the end zone. That play also withstood a review, giving the Browns possession at their 1 a little more than a minute left in the half.

-- Both quarterbacks have been efficient. Manning is 10-of-12 for 88 yards. Anderson is 7-for-8 for 40 yards. The only interception came on Manning's desperation throw at the end of the half.

-- John Dudley

Browns 6, Colts 3

Notes:

-- The Browns stretched it to seven straight quarters without a touchdown, but they still lead thanks to the defense. Brandon McDonald made a nice play to intercept Peyton Manning on the Colts' first play after halftime. McDonald had tight inside coverage against Reggie Wayne and Manning tried to drop it over him, but McDonald came down with it. The Browns drove to the Colts 17, but Phil Dawson missed a 34-yard field goal.

-- Not a great day for the kickers so far, even though they have produced all the points. After the Colts drove to the Browns' 28 after Dawson's miss, Adam Vinatieri missed from 46 yards with a kick that took a nosedive as it approached the uprights.

-- Watch to see if one of these teams opens it up a bit in the fourth quarter. Manning completed his first pass of the day to slot receiver Anthony Gonzalez, a Cleveland native, on the final play of the third quarter,

-- John Dudley

Colts 10, Browns 6

Notes:

-- The last time the Browns gave up as few as 26 points in back-to-back losses was 1985, when they lost to Washington 14-7 in Week 8 and Pittsburgh 10-9 in Week 9. They finished 8-8 that season.

-- The 10 points are a season-low for the Colts, who scored 10 in a regular-season ending 17-10 loss to Tennessee in Week 17 last year. The last time the Colts scored 10 points and won was in Week 2 of the 2005 season when they beat Jacksonville 10-3.

-- Peyton Manning was impressed with the Browns' defense. "We scored three points on them," he said. "That's a great credit to their defense. We still won, but we probably didn't play winning offensive football. You score three points, that's not good enough."

-- Jamal Lewis carried 24 times for 77 yards, his highest total since gaining 81 in Week 8 against Jacksonville. Lewis hasn't had a 100-yard game this season after having five last year.

-- Colts safety and Erie native Bob Sanders, out with knee inflammation, didn't make the trip to Cleveland.

-- Quarterback Derek Anderson might not play again this season because of the knee injury he sustained Sunday, but Anderson said the Browns won't pack it in amid speculation over coach Romeo Crennel's job security. "The guys aren't going to give up," Anderson said. "Every single guy in here cares about each other and cares about winning. We love RAC (Crennel) and we're going to play for RAC. That's the biggest thing in the last four weeks."

-- After ward the Browns said quarterback Brady Quinn is still deciding whether to have surgery on his broken right index finger. Quinn was placed on injured reserve last week.

-- John Dudley