Mike Tomlin didn’t need long to get his shot in at Cleveland.
After the Browns opened the season with an ugly 34-10 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the former Steelers head coach - now working as an NBC analyst - jumped right into the familiar AFC North routine of taking a swipe at the Browns.
“In the words of my friend JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Browns are the Browns,” Tomlin said on the NBC broadcast on Sunday night.
That line fits neatly into a rivalry tradition that’s been going for years. Steelers figures have long enjoyed piling on when Cleveland stumbles, and Ben Roethlisberger is among the former Pittsburgh names who’ve done it before.
Tomlin, no longer in the coaching seat and freed from the usual diplomatic script, had no problem joining the chorus after watching Cleveland get overwhelmed in a game that never felt competitive.
The Browns were badly outplayed by the Jaguars, with Deshaun Watson turning in another rough performance in the blowout. The result only added to the sense that Cleveland is heading into 2026 looking like a mess again.
It’s hard to find much sympathy for the organization given how often it seems to repeat the same mistakes. The fans, though, are a different story. They’ve been living with dysfunction for a long time, and somehow they’re still there.
The schedule doesn’t give Cleveland much of a breather, either. Next up is a Week 2 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, another offense that can put pressure on a defense in a hurry.
In Other News...
Ravens Leave Week 1 Win With A Concern Fans Can't Ignore
Baltimores Week 1 win over the Colts came with a few reasons to feel uneasy, even after the final score was in hand. Zay Flowers was electric before leaving with a career-high 150 receiving yards and a touchdown, but he was not the only Raven to exit with a problem. Ja'Kobi Lane went out with a wrist injury, and T.J. Tampa left with a knee injury, with none of the three able to return.
Coach Jesse Minter did not have immediate updates afterward, leaving the team to sort through what those absences might mean going forward. The silver lining was that veterans Chris Moore and Carl Jones, both elevated from the practice squad, stepped in to help on offense and special teams, but Baltimore knows depth is only part of the concern when key contributors are suddenly unavailable. [Read more 🡒]
Ravens Suddenly Have A WR Rotation Problem They Didnt Expect
JaKobi Lanes first week in Baltimore had already started to matter. The rookie wide receiver had worked his way into the Ravens rotation as the WR3 and flashed enough promise to make the staff think he could be part of the early-season passing plan before a wrist injury cut the momentum short in Week 1. The initial read on the injury points to a fractured wrist, and the expected recovery timeline leaves the Ravens with an immediate depth question at a spot they could not really afford to lose.
Rashod Bateman, Devontez Walker and Chris Moore are the names now positioned to absorb more of the workload, and the shift comes with some pressure attached. Baltimore was already trying to sort out how its receiver group would function around a young, unproven piece like Lane, and his absence forces those plans to move faster than expected. The next stretch will say plenty about whether the Ravens can keep the passing game on schedule while Lane is out, or whether the early uncertainty at receiver becomes a real issue. [Read more 🡒]
Trey Hendricksons Ravens Debut Showed What This Defense Might Become
Trey Hendrickson didnt get the sack in his Ravens debut, but he was all over the Colts backfield in a way that should have Baltimore paying close attention. He finished with five pressures and five hurries, a steady stream of disruption that helped the defense keep the heat on and played a real part in the win. For a unit trying to get its footing without some key pieces, it was the kind of debut that hinted at a broader answer.
Baltimore leaned into a mix of nickel and dime looks to make sure Hendrickson could attack in different ways, and that flexibility may end up being just as important as the individual numbers. The production was there even without the sack column filling up, and it raised the kind of question defensive coaches love to have: what does this pass rush look like once the pieces around him are fully in place? [Read more 🡒]