LAS VEGAS — In the middle of the third quarter, inside their Huntington Bank Field and trailing only 10-8, the Browns doomed themselves with a horrible fourth-down play in their territory.
Terrible special-teams debacles greased a deficit that would become 23-8, and the 49ers’ eventual 26-8 victory became academic.
Such utter sloppiness, we’d venture, is uncommon even down the road from Huntington at St. Ignatius High School.
Dawg Pound faithful might be howling for the sacking of special-teams boss Bubba Valentine, but offensive coordinator Tommy Rees also must be on the hot seat for that goofball fourth-down call.
Furthermore, the lot of Kevin Stefanski’s staff, including the head coach himself, soon might be unemployed after the defeat guaranteed a fourth losing season in his six years.
The gaffes were many, but the Browns’ whirlpool of misery began swirling after that brutal fourth-and-one call at their 33-yard line.
Stefanski panicked, acting as if 25 seconds remained in a playoff game.
(The Browns won a wild-card game, in Pittsburgh, in Stefanski’s first season, nothing since.)
With the play clock running down, he kept quarterback Shedeur Sanders on the sideline, sending rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in to take the snap. Fannin had gained nine yards on four runs this season.
In the milliseconds before the snap, though, he swung his noggin left, right and left, appearing bewildered.
Coaches didn’t even opt for Quinshon Judkins, who has had success taking the snap and running in Wildcat formations.
Predictably, the ill-fated snap to Fannin gave the 49ers the ball at the Browns’ 32.
“That’s not the way to play a good team,” Stefanski told reporters, “where you’re giving them short fields.”
And the play that I’m nominating as the worst call of the NFL season?
“I felt good,” Stefanski said. “I think there’s always the obvious risk when you go for it in those situations. If you feel good about the plays you have and your players, you feel good about converting on those distances.
“Just felt good about it. Didn’t get it done.”
Fortunately for the Dawg Pound, the absolute dregs of the NFL, the Titans, visit this weekend. We see the Browns’ fantastic defense, led by Myles Garrett and his league-best 19 sacks, dominating.
Our admiration for Sanders stems from the 94 sacks, the most in college football, he suffered his two seasons at Colorado. Deion’s kid, though, rose from the turf every time, the definition of tough.
Tennessee’s defense has forced only one turnover in its last six games, so we expect Sanders to flourish.
Should the Browns’ coaches continue to stumble, we’ll nominate, to team owner Jimmy Haslam, the St. Ignatius staff as replacements. No way they’d go for it on fourth down from their 33.
Best bet
TITANS at BROWNS
Time: Noon Sunday.
Line: Browns by 4½. Total: 33½.
Records (overall/ATS): Titans 1-11/4-8; Browns 3-9/5-7.
Pick: Browns 17, Titans 3.
Play: Browns -4½.
How Miech’s plays fared
Last week Overall
Best bet 0-1 5-8
Top plays 1-2 19-20
All plays 4-8-2 78-110-4
7-point tease 12-2 134-56-2
Top plays
DOLPHINS at JETS
Time: Noon Sunday.
Line: Dolphins by 2½. Total: 41½.
Records (overall/ATS): Dolphins 5-7/6-6; Jets 3-9/8-4.
Outlook: Winners of four of their last five, the Fins have averaged 168 rushing yards in those triumphs. RB De’Von Achane has 428 rushing yards (three TDs) in his last three. The Jets yielded 142 to Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson last Sunday.
Pick: Dolphins 23, Jets 6.
Play: Dolphins -2½.
BRONCOS at RAIDERS
Time: 3:05 p.m. Sunday.
Line: Broncos by 7½. Total: 40½.
Records (overall/ATS): Broncos 10-2/5-6-1; Raiders 2-10/3-8-1.
Outlook: With an NFL-high eight one-score victories, the Broncos also take the league’s lead in luck. Knowing when that pendulum swings back is the key to thickening the wallet, but it won’t happen here. That smell? The Raiders.
Pick: Broncos 27, Raiders 10.
Play: Broncos -7½.
RAMS at CARDINALS
Time: 3:25 p.m. Sunday.
Line: Rams by 7½. Total: 47½.
Records (overall/ATS): Rams 9-3/8-4; Cardinals 3-9/5-5-2.
Outlook: Victors in nine of their last 10 in the Valley of the Sun, the Rams also get the benefit of playing the team with the worst home record (13-26, .333) since the 2021 season. Nothing about this tilt is good for the Cardinals.
Pick: Rams 33, Cardinals 13.
Play: Rams -7½.
Other plays
SEAHAWKS at FALCONS
Time: Noon Sunday.
Line: Seahawks by 7. Total: 44½.
Records (overall/ATS): Seahawks 9-3/7-4-1; Falcons 4-8/5-6-1.
Outlook: The Seahawks have won four of their last five in Atlanta, including three in a row (by a 13-point average). Even better, they’re 5-1 against the spread on the road, tying them atop the NFL with Arizona and New England.
Pick: Seahawks 21, Falcons 10.
Play: Seahawks -7.
BENGALS at BILLS
Time: Noon Sunday, Fox 32.
Line: Bills by 5½. Total: 52½.
Records (overall/ATS): Bengals 4-8/5-7; Bills 8-4/6-6.
Outlook: Cincy QB Joe Burrow’s return was stellar, as he directed a triumph in Baltimore. He gets another joke secondary to pick apart, but Bills QB Josh Allen’s wheels (155 rushing yards, eight TDs last six games) are the difference.
Pick: Bills 24, Bengals 21.
Play: Bengals +5½.
COMMANDERS at VIKINGS
Time: Noon Sunday.
Line: Vikings by 1½. Total: 41½.
Records (overall/ATS): Commanders 3-9/4-8; Vikings 4-8/4-8.
Outlook: Both are underwater, with negative points-per-play (PPP) margins for the season and over their last three games. QB J.J. McCarthy returns for the Vikes; don’t forget, he led them to victory in Chicago and at Detroit.
Pick: Vikings 20, Commanders 13.
Play: Vikings -1½.
COLTS at JAGUARS
Time: Noon Sunday, CBS 2.
Line: Colts by 1½. Total: 47½.
Records (overall/ATS): Colts 8-4/7-4-1; Jaguars 8-4/6-4-2.
Outlook: The Colts have dropped their last 10 games in Jacksonville. Plus, they’ve lost three of their last four on the highway. This is for the AFC South lead, and the Jags have won four of their last five.
Pick: Jaguars 24, Colts 20.
Play: Jaguars +1½.
SAINTS at BUCCANEERS
Time: Noon Sunday.
Line: Buccaneers by 8½. Total: 42½.
Records (overall/ATS): Saints 2-10/4-8; Buccaneers 7-5/5-6-1.
Outlook: After correcting a three-game skid last weekend at home against the woeful Cardinals, QB Baker Mayfield and the Bucs get the just-as-woeful Saints this weekend, again at home. Grazie, NFL schedule-makers.
Pick: Buccaneers 21, Saints 10.
Play: Buccaneers -8½.
STEELERS at RAVENS
Time: Noon Sunday.
Line: Ravens by 6. Total: 42½.
Records (overall/ATS): Steelers 6-6/5-7; Ravens 6-6/4-8.
Outlook: QB Lamar Jackson might have returned for Baltimore, but that Swiss-cheese secondary remains. Joe Burrow exploited those punching bags in his return, and leave it to sage veteran Aaron Rodgers to keep this one close.
Pick: Ravens 17, Steelers 16.
Play: Steelers +6.
BEARS at PACKERS
Time: 3:25 p.m. Sunday, Fox 32.
Line: Packers by 6½. Total: 44½.
Records (overall/ATS): Bears 9-3/7-4-1; Packers 8-3-1/5-7.
Outlook: The Bears are one of nine NFL teams with negative PPP-margin figures for the season, in their last three games and in their previous game, and they’re on a 3-14 run in Wisconsin. The Packers ride a three-game turnover-less streak.
Pick: Packers 31, Bears 17.
Play: Packers -6½.
TEXANS at CHIEFS
Time: 7:20 p.m. Sunday, NBC 5.
Line: Chiefs by 3½. Total: 41½.
Records (overall/ATS): Texans 7-5/6-6; Chiefs 6-6/5-7.
Outlook: Officially underwater in their last three games, with a negative PPP margin (-.086), the Chiefs now get the league’s best road defense, in points (16.5) and total yards (270). The Texans have won three of their last four on the highway.
Pick: Texans 23, Chiefs 14.
Play: Texans +3½.
EAGLES at CHARGERS
Time: 7:15 p.m. Monday, ABC 7, ESPN.
Line: Eagles by 3. Total: 40½.
Records (overall/ATS): Eagles 8-4/7-5; Chargers 8-4/5-6-1.
Outlook: We’ll take QB Justin Herbert’s sterling history of playing through pain and his own comments Sunday, that a broken bone in his left (non-throwing) hand (requiring Monday surgery) likely won’t keep him out of this game.
Pick: Chargers 24, Eagles 21.
Play: Chargers +3.
Byes: Panthers, Patriots, Giants, 49ers.