JIMMY SMITH

Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson was suspended for 11 games for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy following accusations of sexual misconduct made against him by two dozen women in Texas when he played for Houston.

The Steelers had running back Najee Harris and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster available for their wild-card playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday night.

Home-field advantage in the playoffs is overrated for Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has found that the road to success in the postseason usually involves packing his bags and getting the heck out of Baltimore. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, FIle)Home-field advantage in the playoffs is overrated for Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has found that the road to success in the postseason usually involves packing his bags and getting the heck out of Baltimore. In fact, Harbaugh has a better road record in the playoffs (8-5) than at home (2-2). For Harbaugh and the Ravens, there's nothing like a good old road trip in January. Asked to explain his ascent to the top of the list of road wins for an NFL coach, Harbaugh came up empty.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson looks to throw a pass against the New York Giants during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)BALTIMORE – Lamar Jackson directed four scoring drives during the decisive first half, and the surging Baltimore Ravens beat the New York Giants 27-13 Sunday to gain control of their own fate in the AFC playoff chase. Baltimore's fourth straight victory, combined with Pittsburgh's win over Indianapolis, lifted the Ravens past the Colts in the AFC wild-card hunt. With a victory in Cincinnati next week, the Ravens (10-5) will earn a playoff berth for the third year in a row. The Giants (5-10) lost their third straight and were left with only a miniscule chance of making the postseason.

(AP Photo/Wade Payne, File)The Cleveland Browns are short-handed as they try to clinch the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2002, the longest active drought in the NFL. They learned Sunday morning they will be without starting rookie left tackle Jedrick Wills against the New York Jets because of an illness. Wills had been placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Thursday and activated Saturday, but was then downgraded Sunday. The Browns will be missing receivers Rashard Higgins, Donovan Peoples-Jones and KhaDarel Hodge and linebacker Jacob Phillips. The Indianapolis Colts will be without both starting offensive tackles when they face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)BALTIMORE – The Baltimore Ravens built a 26-point halftime lead against helpless Jacksonville and rolled to a 40-14 victory Sunday that boosted their playoff chances and extended the Jaguars' losing streak to 13 games. Lamar Jackson threw three touchdown passes and ran for a score to carry the Ravens (9-5) to their third straight win following a three-game skid. Robinson was limited to 35 yards rushing before leaving in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. The highlight of the fourth quarter was a 22-yard first-down run by Baltimore offensive lineman Tyre Phillips with a Jackson fumble.

(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott is inactive against San Francisco with a calf injury the two-time rushing championship has been battling for several weeks. Safety Deon Bush (foot) is also out after being listed questionable with Johnson. Cowboys: RB Ezekiel Elliott, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Malik Turner, CB Rashard Robinson, DE Bradlee Anae, LB Luke Gifford, DE Ron’Dell Carter. ___JACKSONVILLE AT BALTIMOREJaguars: CB Sidney Jones, CB Luq Barcoo, LB Quincy Williams, DT Daniel Ross, QB Jake Luton. Ravens: DE Calais Campbell, CB Jimmy Smith, CB Marcus Peters, RB Mark Ingram, LB Kristian Welch, DE Jihad Ward, C Trystan Colon-Castillo.

Tucker, who made 70 straight field goals inside 40 yards before he missed last week, had plenty of distance on his kick to give the Ravens (8-5) a much-needed win. It was a gut punch for the Browns (9-4), who had rallied from a 14-point deficit to take the lead while Jackson was out. He drove the Browns 75 yards, hitting running back Kareem Hunt for a 22-yard TD pass with 1:04 left. Cleveland was counting on Williams to handle the starting cornerback spot opposite Denzel Ward, who missed his third straight game with a calf injury. Browns: Make the first of two straight weekend visits to the New York area and play the Giants on Dec. 20.

Pittsburgh Steelers running back Benny Snell (24) runs away from Baltimore Ravens outside linebacker L.J. So while the Steelers stayed perfect with a disjointed 19-14 win over the undermanned Ravens in the first NFL game on a Wednesday in eight years, their play was anything but. “To be bluntly honest, I’m really disappointed in our performance tonight,” he said after Pittsburgh improved to 11-0. But the Steelers were able to drain the clock behind a third-down grab by James Washington, eliminating the Ravens from repeating as AFC North champions. “The way the game went, obviously we wanted to win,” Griffin said.

(AP Photo/Gail Burton)The Baltimore Ravens are considerably short-handed at practice this week after moving two starting offensive linemen to injured reserve and placing eight players on the COVID-19 reserve list. Following Humphrey's diagnosis, the Ravens put starting linebackers Patrick Queen, Matthew Judon and L.J. Fort on COVID-19 reserve, along with starting safety DeShon Elliott and reserve linebackers Malik Harrison and Tyus Bowser. “It creates opportunities for a few younger guys and for some guys to play some different spots. “We know that any given week you could be down a key player or key players,” starting strong safety Chuck Clark said.

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) looks to pass as he is pursued by Cleveland Browns defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson (98), during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Baltimore, MD. Facing a Cleveland secondary depleted by injuries, Jackson completed 20 of 25 passes and racked up a team-high 45 yards on the ground. A year ago, the multi-faceted star set an NFL single-season record for yards rushing by a quarterback and threw 36 TD passes. Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield threw an interception on the opening series, the first of three Browns turnovers. The Browns then withstood a 47-yard completion from Jackson to Marquise Brown by forcing a fumble by Patrick Ricard inside the 10.