NFL

The Browns are 9.5 point underdogs to the Chiefs, and almost no one believes they’ll dethrone the defending champs (lookin’ at you Chase Claypool) ... that is, except NFL legend Joe Thomas.

The 10x Pro Bowler tells TMZ Sports Cleveland will not only beat Kansas City ... but they’ll advance to the Super Bowl this season.

Of course, Cleveland's no stranger to playing the underdog.

Vegas had them on the wrong side of a 5.5 point spread on Sunday ... before the team thoroughly whooped the Steelers, ending their season.

So sure, Thomas might be a little biased ... but he wholeheartedly believes the Browns will take down Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs when they face-off this weekend.

“I think it’s gonna be a close game,” Joe says.

“The Chiefs have played a close game just about, well I think a one-score game every game the last half of the season, and I think with the Browns rushing attack and the way Baker Mayfield is playing with that killer mentality, I like the Browns in this one.”

FYI, the Chiefs -- a year after winning the Lombardi trophy -- finished the season with the NFL's best record, 14-2.

Bottom line ... Thomas is adamant the lovable loser Browns are long gone -- and this is a team to be reckoned with.

“This is the revival and the resuscitation of the Cleveland Browns franchise. For 17 years, to not go to the playoffs, for a lot longer than that not having won a playoff game and to be able to come back, get that monkey off your back, go to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers, your hated rival, in a game that nobody gave you a chance in."

"I think it really is the turning of the tides for the Browns franchise and I think it’s a little bit of the turning of tides in the AFC North as well.”

The Steelers were booted from the playoffs and they're STILL talking smack on the Browns ... with rookie receiver Chase Claypool saying Cleveland will get "clapped" in the next round.

In true Steelers fashion, the 22-year-old star went to none other than TikTok (seriously) to diss his AFC North rival on Monday ... saying, "Bad loss, but the Browns are gonna get clapped next week, so all good."

Worth noting, Claypool is saying this from the comfort of his own home ... which is where one usually goes after being eliminated from the playoffs.

Despite the loss, Claypool is confident the Browns will not come away with the dub next ... especially against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.

It's obviously not a hot take ... but given what happened just hours ago, maybe he shoulda kept his comments to himself??

Claypool's words follow JuJu Smith-Schuster's remarks leading up to the game ... when he trashed the Browns for being historically bad.

The Browns had the last laugh ... mocking JuJu's love for TikTok dances after securing the epic 48-37 win.

Surprising news out of Philadelphia ... Doug Pederson is now OUT as head coach -- this just 3 years after he won the franchise its first-ever Super Bowl.

The Eagles made the move Monday, according to multiple reports ... after Pederson's squad turned in a disappointing 4-11-1 record in the 2020 season.

Some had picked Philly to win the NFC East before the year began ... but poor play from the offense and injuries doomed them -- and the Birds ended up finishing in dead last in the worst division in football.

It's all pretty shocking, considering Pederson had started his career in Philadelphia with a bang.

In just his second season with the team back in 2017, he went 13-3 and ended up beating Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII.

But, key coaching departures, failed draft picks and deteriorating play from Carson Wentz all helped lead to Pederson's firing Monday.

Pederson shouldn't be jobless for long, though ... in fact, some have speculated because of his ties to Jets general manager Joe Douglas, he could be a strong candidate for New York's head coaching vacancy.

Ohio State legend Cardale Jones is keepin' it real ... telling TMZ Sports despite his Buckeye ties, if he had the #1 pick in the NFL draft, he'd take Trevor Lawrence over Justin Fields.

"I'm going to try to be unbiased as possible," Jones says, "but I'm going to pick Trevor."

As for why, the ex-OSU QB says it's pretty simple -- he believes Lawrence has played at a higher level for longer than Fields -- this despite Justin beating the Clemson superstar in last week's College Football Playoff semifinal.

"I think he's the safest bet," Jones said of Lawrence, "because he has more of a sample size -- a 3-year starter and some of the things he has done."

Don't get it twisted though ... Cardale still LOVES Justin -- and says if the Jaguars take Lawrence at #1 in April's draft, he expects whoever ends up with Fields to be just as happy.

"I predict both guys will have an opportunity to play at a young, young stage in their careers and have a tremendous effect on whatever organization drafts them," Jones says.

As for how Fields will fare in his (almost certainly) final college football game ever on Monday night ... Jones is backing the Buckeye there -- saying he's got OSU upsetting Bama for the natty.

"I got 38-28 Buckeyes," Jones tells us, "and we finding some way to stop that extremely high-powered Alabama offense."

By the way, speaking of Buckeyes national titles, Cardale tells us the last head coach to win a 'ship with OSU could have huge success in the NFL ... explaining Urban Meyer could be a great fit in Jacksonville.

Patrick Mahomes is apparently an MVP quarterback AND MVP fiance ... 'cause the NFL superstar just gifted Brittany Matthews with a new whip -- and she was FIRED UP over the present!!!

The Chiefs superstar's fiancee -- who's several months pregnant with the couple's baby daughter -- revealed Mahomes gave her the ride for breakfast on Monday morning.

"Nothing like waking up at 8am to a new car on Monday," Matthews said. "@PatrickMahomes YOU THE BEST #momcar🔥."

24-year-old Brittany posted a video from inside the ride with a friend and Patrick's brother, Jackson ... and the whip looks fancy as hell.

Unclear exactly what the make and model is ... but the interior resembles the Lamborghini SUV -- which is a set of wheels that can cost well over $200,000!!!

"We got a new car!!!" a super happy Brittany said in the clip of the ride. "Heyyyyy!!!!"

Matthews added the caption, "Mom car" with a set of heart-eye emojis.

Brittany and Patrick have been dating since high school ... and got engaged in 2020. They announced their pregnancy in September.

The Cleveland Browns celebrated their first playoff win since 1994 the only way they knew how -- by epically roasting JuJu Smith-Schuster with a locker room celebration for the ages!!

Of course, the Steelers WR had some words for the AFC North rivals leading up to their Wild Card matchup ... calling Cleveland the "same old Browns" and claiming he was unfazed by the new-look team.

Baker Mayfield and Co. clearly had JuJu on their minds after taking care of business Sunday night ... trolling the TikTok-loving star with a taste of his own medicine.

Kareem Hunt, Jarvis Landry and more led the Browns' insane locker room celly following their 48-37 win over Pittsburgh ... blaring Pop Hunna and Lil Uzi Vert's "Adderall (Corvette Corvette)" and having some choice words for the receiver.

Remember, JuJu was infamous for his pregame ritual -- which included dancing to the same song while standing on opposing team logos prior to kickoff.

Landry mocked JuJu with some moves of his own ... while several Browns players recited the receiver's bulletin board material.

"The Browns gon' be the Browns!!!" Hunt said on IG Live ... with guard Wyatt Teller adding, "Same old Browns, huh?!"

It's a huge moment for the Browns ... who now have to prepare for the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs next week.

If JuJu Smith-Schuster's Browns shade wasn't enough to fire up Cleveland ... here's EVEN MORE bulletin board material for the Dawg Pound -- courtesy of ex-Steelers player Ike Taylor!!

TMZ Sports spoke with the former Pittsburgh DB this week ... and when he was explaining Smith-Schuster's "nameless, gray faces" comments, Taylor said JuJu wasn't exactly wrong!

"Well, first of all, there is no rivalry," Taylor said of the Browns vs. Steelers. "You know, the only rivalry when it comes down to Pittsburgh is the Baltimore Ravens. That's the only rivalry we look at."

"We never looked at Cleveland, we never looked at Cincinnati as no rivalry. That's just how it was."

Don't get it twisted, Taylor still has a ton of respect for Cleveland -- he praised Baker Mayfield for his progress -- but he says there's definitely a big brother little brother relationship between the Steelers and Browns.

"It's not in a disrespectful way," Taylor tells us. "It's just if you're a Pittsburgh Steeler, that's how you look at other teams."

If you missed it, Smith-Schuster spoke with reporters on Thursday and said he doesn't look at the Browns any differently this season compared to years' past when they were awful.

"The Browns is the Browns," JuJu said.

The answer to finding Tom Brady's eventual replacement in New England is NOT Jimmy Garoppolo ... so says ex-Patriots TE Jermaine Wiggins, who tells TMZ Sports that's a bad plan!!

The Pats are rumored to be poking around the idea of possibly re-acquiring Garoppolo from San Francisco this offseason ... after the QB has had an up-and-down 4 seasons in the Bay Area.

And, because of Garoppolo's familiarity with NE (Bill Belichick drafted him in 2014) ... some think it'd be a great move for the Pats!!

But, when we spoke with Wiggins this week ... he told us he'd search elsewhere for a franchise signal-caller -- explaining Garoppolo is just injured too damn much.

"Nah, man, we don't want Garoppolo, man," Wiggins says. "He can't get on the field -- he's always hurt. When you look at him, the problem with him is he can't stay healthy. He's always hurt."

"I don't want a quarterback that's only going to play 6, 7, 8, 9 games for the year. So, nah, Jimmy G can stay on the left coast."

Wiggins does have a point -- Garoppolo has played in 6 or fewer games for the 49ers in three of his four seasons in the red and gold while battling various injuries.

So, who would Jermaine prefer? The tight end says he sure wouldn't mind if the Pats made a run at trading for Deshaun Watson (even if he thinks it's a pipe dream).

"I don't know who's gonna get in there with him because I'm saying, he intimidating. He's a big guy, you already know he got big arms and stuff like that. He's got good range."

That's Evander Holyfield -- one of the greatest boxers of all-time -- speaking glowingly about 36-year-old, ex-NFL star Brandon Marshall's skills in the boxing ring.

Marshall -- a 6x Pro Bowler -- last played ball with the New Orleans Saints in 2018 ... and took up boxing last year.

BM -- who previously called out top heavyweights like Anthony Joshua -- went down to 58-year-old Holyfield's gym in Florida ... and the 2 men got in a boxing workout.

Obviously, Marshall's a helluva athlete ... but we've recently seen that being strong, or jumping high doesn't always translate to being able to throw hands (sorry, Nate).

But, The Real Deal says Marshall's the real deal in the ring.

"Brandon, ya know, he looks good balance-wise. We weren't really sparring but he got good balance and hey, he look like he could be a good fighter."

Holyfield even compared the 6'4", 230 lb. former football player to arguably the greatest knockout artist of this generation -- The Bronze Bomber.

"[Brandon] pretty much got the same reach as the heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder," Evander says.

Bills Mafia beware -- the Mayor of Buffalo says there will be NO table-smashing tailgates on his watch ... telling TMZ Sports the home playoff game is not an excuse to break COVID-19 protocols.

Bills fans are notorious for their wild pre-game antics -- from bowling ball shots to dousing themselves in condiments to assaulting tables in support of their beloved team.

With Buffalo hosting its first home playoff game since 1996 on Saturday, fans may be eager to go back to their crazy antics -- but we're told officials will NOT be turning a blind eye to large gatherings, considering the pandemic is still in full force.

We spoke with Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown ... who tells us, "We are advising people to stay away from tailgating. Tailgating will NOT be allowed by the county or the county sheriffs department."

"We are encouraging people to watch the game, cheer loudly, celebrate the Bills but do it with people in their own household."

FYI -- Buffalo is currently in "Orange" phase, which means no dining unless outdoor and otherwise approved.

Around 6,700 Bills fans WILL, however, be able to attend the game -- the team required each spectator to get a COVID-19 test this week -- but as the mayor said, they won't be able to do their usual pregame routine.

And, get this -- Mayor Brown had tickets to the game ... but tells us he gave them to 2 essential employees in the city's public works department who deserve to have some fun.

"Those are the people that been on the front lines keeping our city going through this pandemic, picking up garbage, plowing the snow so I thought it was absolutely the right thing to do."

We also spoke with Buffalo PD Chief of Staff Jeff Rinaldo, who tells us they aren't expecting any issues ... and praises Buffalonians for following guidelines throughout the pandemic so far.

Aside from the pandemic, another factor that could keep Bills fans at home?? It's expected to be 36 degrees on game day.

But hey, this is Bills Mafia we're talking about.

Warren Moon says Deshaun Watson does NOT want out of Houston yet ... telling TMZ Sports he believes the Texans QB simply wants to see some significant changes in the org.

"He literally loves playing in Houston," the Hall of Fame quarterback tells us. "He loves the city. He's involved in it a lot. But he definitely wants to win."

Watson, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, is "extremely unhappy" with the Texans heading into this offseason ... reportedly upset over his lack of input so far in the hiring process of the team's new GM and head coach.

Now, many believe that could lead to a trade ... but when we spoke with Moon -- a close friend of Deshaun's -- the 64-year-old told us he's not expecting the QB to be dealt with anytime soon.

In fact, Moon tells us he's pretty confident 25-year-old Watson will still be under center in Houston in 2021.

"If they really sit down and listen to this guy, and listen to what his feelings are, they'll give him a lot of input into who that next head coach is going to be," Moon says.

"And if that happens, I think he'll be happy there."

The problem? Moon believes if Houston doesn't do that ... a trade request from Watson could then follow.

"This is a guy that comes from a Clemson program where he won a national championship, he lost another one in the championship, so he's used to winning football," Moon says, "and it just hasn't been that way for his team this past year and he sees them going in a downward slide."

If the Texans aren't able to keep Watson happy ... Moon says he believes a bunch of teams could be suitors for his services.

Does this look like a guy who's pissed with his team?!?

Here's Houston Texans superstar QB Deshaun Watson enjoying a romantic getaway with his beautiful GF Jilly Anais ... and the dude is smiling from ear-to-ear!!

The love birds are picking up right where they left off after the QB surprised her with a lavish party for her 25th birthday earlier this week ... getting some much-needed R&R somewhere in paradise.

A shirtless Watson and bikini-clad Jilly posed for a quick snap while getting some rays on board a boat on Friday ... and yeah, we're jealous.

Of course, there is talk Watson -- who just signed a 4-year, $160 MILLION deal back in September -- is upset with the team for not including him in their search for a new general manager ... and there's speculation he could ask for a trade this off-season.

In fact, Watson went as far as to subtweet the hell outta his team earlier this week ... saying, "Some things never change...."

The Texans went ahead and hired ex-Patriots exec. Nick Caserio to take on the role earlier this week ... and CEO Cal McNair says he hopes to speak with his star QB once he gets back from vacation.

From the looks of it, that may be a while, Cal .. dude might book a few more days at the resort!!

Adam Thielen is turning one amazing gesture into two ... the Minnesota Vikings star is now auctioning off his Alex Trebek tribute cleats to raise money for pancreatic cancer research.

The 30-year-old wide receiver rocked the spikes for a game just days after the "Jeopardy!" host died in November -- and the homage was awesome.

One of the cleats featured an image of Trebek with a halo. The other had a painted-on "Jeopardy!" style placard that read, "We Will Miss You, Alex."

Now, Thielen is taking the cool tribute one step further ... announcing Friday he's going to sell the footwear with all of the proceeds slated to help the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network find a cure.

As we previously reported, Trebek died due to the disease ... and urged "Jeopardy!" audience members just days before his passing to be wary of symptoms and get tested.

The auction for Thielen's cleats begins Friday and ends Jan. 18.

If the Steelers thought JuJu Smith-Schuster's TikTokin' was a distraction -- wait 'til they get a load of this ...

Pittsburgh's flamboyant wideout just provided some SERIOUS bulletin board material for the Cleveland Browns ahead of their playoff matchup this weekend ... throwing major shade at the team's AFC North rival!!

Smith-Schuster's comments all went down in a meeting with the media on Thursday ... when a reporter asked if the 24-year-old had seen anything different out of the Browns this year.

"I think they’re still the same Browns teams I play every year,” Smith-Schuster said. "I think they’re nameless, gray faces. They have a couple good players on their team, but, at the end of the day, I don’t know. The Browns is the Browns.”

JuJu added, "I'm just happy we're playing them again Sunday."

SHAAAAAAAAAADEEEE!!!

Of course, Smith-Schuster is no stranger to providing motivation for opposing teams ... to close out the season, the receiver made it a point to TikTok dance on opponents' logos before games.

Turns out, other teams used that as fuel ... especially the Bills and Bengals, who whooped the Steelers and griped about Smith-Schuster's dancing afterward.

Issac Bruce says if he were runnin' the Rams show ... he'd dump Jared Goff for Deshaun Watson -- telling TMZ Sports a potential trade with the Texans would be a no-brainer for him.

"I'd love to see it, I'm just going to be honest," the Rams legend says. "I think Deshaun Watson is a great talent. He can throw the football well. He's a competitor."

"You don't have to worry about if this guy is going to show up on Sunday. At all."

Of course, a Houston-Los Angeles trade would take a LOT of dominoes to fall ... first, the Texans would have to be willing to jettison their star QB -- even if he's as disgruntled as some reports say he is.

Second, the Rams would have to get creative with contracts considering Goff's massive deal ... AND they'd likely have to come up with a bunch of draft picks to give away as well.

But, Bruce says if there's any way L.A. can make it work ... the Rams should do it and not think twice.

"If Les [Snead] can pull it off, man," Bruce said of the Rams' general manager, "I'd be jumping on the table as well to make it happen."

As for Bruce's feelings on Goff going forward ... you can tell, Isaac ain't exactly Jared's #1 fan.

State of the nation got ya down? Here's a video that'll help pick you back up ...

A Green Bay Packers fan finished his last round of cancer treatments ... and to celebrate, he rang a ceremonial bell -- AND THEN SHOTGUNNED A BEER!!!

The amazing footage was posted on Twitter on Wednesday ... showing a guy in an Aaron Rodgers jersey attacking a Busch Light like a true champ after achieving the incredible feat!

"Ever shotgun a beer in a hospital?" Twitter user @blomdotcomm captioned the video. "Done with chemo. Done with cancer!"

He later added, "Had to celebrate the milestone in an epic fashion."

The clip was so awesome, it caught the attention of former NFL punter Pat McAfee -- who wrote of the vid, "Feel like the world needs some feel good right now... this feels good. Congrats BOSS."