The Ravens made their case to be called the NFL’s best, dismantling the Seattle Seahawks, 37-3. The Browns smothered the Arizona Cardinals, 27-0. Who will have the advantage when these AFC North rivals meet for the second time this season?

Ravens passing game vs. Browns pass defense

Lamar Jackson didn’t complete a pass longer than 17 yards but performed efficiently against the Seahawks, completing 21 of 26 attempts for 187 yards while the Ravens’ ground game took center stage. Tight end Mark Andrews was his top target with nine catches on 10 targets for 80 yards. Andrews leads the team with six touchdown catches and 23 grabs for first downs. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ran a nifty route to the corner of the end zone to catch his first Ravens touchdown from Jackson’s backup, Tyler Huntley, redeeming himself after a careless fumble just before halftime. Wide receiver Rashod Bateman broke free on a pair of deep routes in the first half, but Jackson overthrew him both times. The offensive line has delivered solid pass protection, though left tackle Ronnie Stanley allowed Seattle linebacker Boye Mafe to whip around him several times in the first half, with one of those losses resulting in a strip-sack.

Such lapses could prove far more consequential against the Browns, who feature the league’s top edge rusher in Myles Garrett (9 1/2 sacks, 18 quarterback hits) and a very good complement in former Raven Za’Darius Smith (two sacks, 19 quarterback hits). The Ravens won’t generally leave either of their tackles on an island against Garrett. They did a decent job against Cleveland’s superstar in their 28-3 win at the beginning of October, limiting him to one sack, two quarterback hits and a pair of hurries. The Browns also bring pressure from their middle thanks to defensive tackles Dalvin Tomlinson and Maurice Hurst. They blitz on 28.2% of dropbacks, the 11th-highest rate in the league, and rank first in DVOA against the pass. They present plenty of problems beyond their front, with safety Grant Delpit (team-high 53 tackles) and cornerback Denzel Ward (nine passes defended, two interceptions) ranking among the best players at their positions. Despite all that star power, Jackson completed 15 of 19 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns (both to Andrews) as the Ravens pulled away easily in Cleveland.

EDGE: Even

Browns passing game vs. Ravens pass defense

Quarterback Deshaun Watson missed the last matchup against the Ravens because of the shoulder injury that has limited him to five starts this season. He was back in the lineup against Arizona and completed 19 of 30 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Say what you will about Watson’s spotty form since he took over Cleveland’s offense late last season. The Browns are 4-1 in his starts this season, and he gives them a better chance than backups P.J. Walker or Dorian Thompson-Robinson (who had no hope against the Baltimore defense in October). Wide receiver Amari Cooper (17.6 yards per catch) is Watson’s clear top target, and the Ravens can’t count on holding him to one catch as they did in their previous meeting. No. 2 receiver Elijah Moore is averaging a disappointing 9.3 yards per catch. Tight end David Njoku (32 catches, 319 yards, two touchdowns) will be the Ravens’ greatest concern after Cooper, though he didn’t practice Wednesday because of a knee injury. Left tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. is on injured reserve and rookie Dawand Jones is out with a knee and shoulder injuries, leaving 2021 fourth-round pick James Hudson III and practice squad call-up Geron Christian to fill in for an otherwise solid offensive line.

The Ravens, first in the league with 35 sacks, destroyed Cleveland with pressure in the previous meeting, but some of that was Thompson-Robinson’s fault. The rookie also threw three interceptions. No passing offense has gone off against coordinator Mike Macdonald’s defense, which holds opponents to a league-low 4.1 yards per attempt and seems to attack in a different mode each week. Outside linebacker Kyle Van Noy’s two sacks, the second forcing a fumble, prevented Seattle from building any hope going into halftime. Defensive tackle Justin Madubuike leads all interior linemen with 7 1/2 sacks and is on a six-game sack streak. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey played his best game of the season against the Seahawks, but he’s questionable with a hamstring injury that popped up Thursday. Safety Geno Stone made his league-leading sixth interception. Look for the Ravens to keep him on the field and use Kyle Hamilton as a big nickel if Marcus Williams returns from his hamstring injury this week. Everything is clicking for this defense.

EDGE: Ravens

Ravens running game vs. Browns run defense

The Ravens ran over the Seahawks with a variety of ball carriers and approaches, showing how devastating they can be handing off in coordinator Todd Monken’s more spread-out offense. Rookie Keaton Mitchell was the breakout star, carrying nine times for 138 yards and proving he can be just as elusive running inside as outside the tackles, but he’s questionable with a hamstring injury. Gus Edwards led another brutally efficient red-zone performance, scoring his sixth and seventh touchdowns of the season. Jackson also produced his best running game in several weeks, though he might be more conservative against Cleveland after he came up limping in the second half. Afterward, Seattle defenders admitted they had no idea where the next run was coming from. The Ravens moved to first in the league in rushing with their 298-yard masterpiece.

The Browns, meanwhile, held a solid Cardinals rushing attack to 41 yards and have limited opponents to 3.7 yards per carry. The Ravens ran for a modest 131 yards on 33 attempts in their previous matchup, with Justice Hill doing the most damage. Linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is Cleveland’s top playmaker against the run. Tomlinson, Hurst and Shelby Harris present a solid interior wall.

EDGE: Ravens

Browns running game vs. Ravens run defense

The Browns miss running back Nick Chubb. Jerome Ford and Kareem Hunt have combined to average just 3.7 yards per carry. Third option Pierre Strong actually did the most damage against the Ravens, carrying five times for 49 yards, but he’s questionable with a hamstring injury. Watson isn’t a prolific runner but averages 5.8 yards per attempt. The Browns have not turned away from the run in Chubb’s absence. They rank first in attempts and third in yards per game.

The Ravens shut down Seattle’s ground attack, allowing 28 yards on 15 carries. Linebackers Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen led the way as usual, with outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney stifling Kenneth Walker III’s early attempts to get to the edge. The Ravens can be run on, as the Cardinals demonstrated with 129 yards the previous week. They have allowed 4 yards per carry, a relatively high number for a defense that has excelled in almost every way.

EDGE: Even

Ravens special teams vs. Browns special teams

The Ravens avoided special teams trouble against Seattle. Justin Tucker made all three of his field goal attempts, moving to 16-for-19 for the season, and Jordan Stout boomed a 66-yard punt to deny the Seahawks a short field. Devin Duvernay hasn’t done much with kickoffs but is still averaging an impressive 14.2 yards on punt returns.

Cleveland kicker Dustin Hopkins has made 20 of 23 field goal attempts overall and a stellar 7 of 7 from 50 yards or beyond. The Browns haven’t returned a punt more than 17 yards all season, and Corey Bojorquez has put just 33.3% of his punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line (Stout is at 45.9%).

EDGE: Ravens

Ravens intangibles vs. Browns intangibles

The Ravens couldn’t feel much better after they dismantled another NFC division leader at M&T Bank Stadium. They’re dealing with few significant injuries and will benefit from staying home to play two AFC North games in five days. Coach John Harbaugh seems unconcerned about complacency given that the other three teams in the division are on the Ravens’ heels, all in position to make the playoffs.

The Browns also have reason to feel confident after their defense annihilated the Cardinals. They’ll see this as a more honest shot at the Ravens with Watson back at quarterback. Two of their three losses this season have come on the road, but the Ravens have swept the season series just once since 2018. Coach Kevin Stefanski is 31-27 in four seasons.

EDGE: Ravens

Prediction

The Ravens will see a more competitive version of the Browns with Watson at quarterback and a defense hungry to prove the 28-3 score of the previous meeting was misleading. But the Ravens are still the more balanced team, able to win in multiple ways on both sides of the ball with a higher offensive upside thanks to Jackson. The home crowd won’t enjoy another blowout but will help the Ravens through a slugfest. Ravens 23, Browns 17

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The Chicago White Sox didn’t specifically target former major leaguers while filling openings on their coaching staff.

But as it turns out, each of the five new additions has big-league playing experience.

“We just identified guys that we felt had impeccable makeup,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said during a video conference call. “One thing I noticed is that these guys are like grinders.

“Each one of these guys brings a little different mindset to what they had to do to play major-league baseball for a long time and be in the game for a long time, which was really intriguing to me.”

The Sox announced their 2024 staff on Tuesday.

The newcomers include Marcus Thames, who will try to help the Sox get back on track offensively after being named the team’s hitting coach.

The Sox also added Jason Bourgeois as the first base/outfield coach, Drew Butera as the catching coach, Matt Wise as the assistant pitching coach and Grady Sizemore as a major-league coach.

Ethan Katz returns as the pitching coach, Mike Tosar as the assistant hitting coach, Eddie Rodríguez as the third base/infield coach and Charlie Montoyo as the bench coach. Tosar was the team’s major-league field coordinator last season.

Thames will be the team’s third hitting coach in three seasons, replacing José Castro, who replaced Frank Menechino. The 47-year-old spent 2023 as the hitting coach for the Los Angeles Angels.

“He has an incredible ability to relate to all types of players,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said of Thames during Tuesday’s MLB general managers meetings at a resort in Paradise Valley, Ariz.

“He has coached in different markets, players with different backgrounds, higher profile, younger players so that type of starter skill set was really important for where we’re headed. That really stood out.”

Powered by Shohei Ohtani’s league-leading 44 home runs, the Angels ranked third in the American League in the category with 231. They were seventh in the AL in OPS (.743), eighth in batting average (.245) and ninth in on-base percentage (.317).

The Sox finished tied for 11th in the AL with 171 home runs in 2023 and were 12th with a .384 slugging percentage. They were last in the majors with a .291 on-base percentage.

Thames previously was the hitting coach for the Miami Marlins (2022) and the New York Yankees (2021-22). He played parts of 10 seasons in the majors with the Yankees (2002, 2010), Texas Rangers (2003), Detroit Tigers (2004-09) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2011).

He’s worked with the likes of Ohtani and Aaron Judge. Nnow he’ll aim to aid the Sox, whether it’s Luis Robert Jr. building off an impressive 2023, having players like Andrew Vaughn and Eloy Jiménez take the next step or getting the most out of Yoán Moncada.

Sox manager Pedro Grifol said the tandem of Thames and Tosar “makes a good team moving forward.”

Sizemore, 41, enters his first season on a big-league coaching staff. A three-time All-Star during 10 years in the big leagues, he was a coach for the Arizona Complex League Diamondbacks in 2022. He spent the bulk of his career with Cleveland (2004-11) and also played for Boston (2014), Philadelphia (2014-15) and Tampa Bay (2015).

“Going through the interview process, it was very clear that Grady’s going to be able to really connect with a lot of our players,” Getz said. “He had four years straight of 700 plate appearances (2005-08). To inject that type of mentality into our ecosystem, so to speak, is going to really bode well for us.”

Grifol said Sizemore will be a hybrid coach.

“A lot of base running, a lot of outfield stuff, anywhere we need him,” Grifol said.

Wise, 47, spent the last three seasons as the Angels pitching coach. He appeared in 209 games (18 starts) during parts of eight seasons with the Angels (2000-02), Milwaukee Brewers (2004-07) and New York Mets (2008).

“To get a major-league pitching coach of his pedigree to assist Ethan I think is going to be really helpful,” Getz said. “They’ve got a built-in relationship from working with (each other) in the past, and it’s only going to strengthen the group, with (senior advisor to pitching Brian Bannister) involved, as well.”

Butera, 40, was the Angels catching coordinator last season and a bullpen catcher in 2022. He played parts of 12 seasons with the Minnesota Twins (2010-13), Dodgers (2013-14), Angels (2015, ‘21), Kansas City Royals (2015-18) and Colorado Rockies (2018-20).

Grifol described him as “one of the up-and-coming minds in the game.”

“I’m looking forward for him working with the catchers and the game-planning and the game-management part of it that I thought we were really poor at last year,” Grifol said.

Bourgeois, 41, was the outfield and base running coordinator for the Dodgers organization from 2021-23. He played in 317 major-league games during parts of eight seasons with the White Sox (2008), Brewers (2009), Houston Astros (2010-11), Royals (2012), Rays (2013) and Cincinnati Reds (2014-15).

“The Dodgers have had a lot of success with development in a lot of different aspects in which he’ll be focusing on,” Getz said. “Just a talented coach who will really help in a lot of different ways.”

Getz said the major-league background of the new coaches was not essential.

“At the end of the day, if players (are able) to respond to coaches, they need to feel like the coach is in their corner and it’s about helping the player,” Getz said. “In this case, we have guys with playing background and the ability to build those relationships.”

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If Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks seem like an odd combination, well they are. He’s a steely, populist New Yorker, while she’s a dramatic hippie witch from Phoenix. And yet, the pair delivered a delightful and nostalgic evening Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, even if they took two quite different approaches.

Nicks amped up the moody atmosphere for her set, a blend of her solo hits and some of the songs she wrote for Fleetwood Mac, and wore a series of her famous shawls. Early on, she told the crowd one of her backup singers tested positive for COVID that morning and Nicks’ vocal coach was filling in. Nicks said it would sound a little different and it did, particularly during “Edge of Seventeen” and “Landslide.” A bit distracting, but not enough to be a game changer.

As for Nicks, she sounded terrific. Now 75, she twirls slower than she used to, but she can still sing. Whether she was belting out “Stand Back” or bringing the audience in with “Dreams,” Nicks nailed it.

Her longtime guitarist Waddy Wachtel — a session musician who has worked with everyone from Linda Ronstadt to Dolly Parton — also shined. He extended the instrumental breaks in several numbers, most notably “Gold Dust Woman,” an already dramatic song he transformed into a true epic.

Nicks also covered two very distinctive songs — Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers’ “Free Fallin” — and somehow made them her own. True magic.

Four songs into her set, Nicks played her debut solo single “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around,” with Joel popping out to sing Petty’s part. He did a decent job and later in his own set offered a surprisingly awesome Mick Jagger impersonation (both singing- and dancing-wise) during a snippet of the Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up.”

Joel takes an old-fashioned and showbizzy approach to performing live, complete with massive hooks and canned comic lines he’s used hundreds of times. For example, he took the stage to the end score from the 1984 Robert Redford sports film “The Natural,” written by Randy Newman channeling Aaron Copland.

The 75-year-old wasn’t afraid to pump up his old hits like “Only the Good Die Young” and “New York State of Mind” into true stadium rockers. Crucially, though, he didn’t significantly alter any arrangements, he just made them bigger and bolder.

As such, the set list was packed with Joel’s many hits, the ones he’s been playing for decades now. The crowd greeted each one like an old friend, from “My Life” and “Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)” to “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant” and “Piano Man.” (Joel retired from recording pop/rock albums with 1993’s “River of Dreams.”)

The furthest Joel strayed was a pair of album cuts early in his set, “Summer, Highland Falls” and “Zanzibar.” Of the latter, Joel noted it “gets played on TikTok, whatever the hell that is.” Joel sure knows how to put on a show.

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Chicago Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer had said all the right things for months in support of David Ross.

Even when scrutiny on Ross’ performance became heightened in June when the Cubs slipped 10 games below .500, Hoyer continued to believe in him. At the end of the season, after a three-week September collapse dropped them out of playoff position, he backed his hand-picked manager. Hoyer, though, has shown a willingness to make tough decisions when he believes it benefits the organization.

A covert recruitment of managerial free agent Craig Counsell was the latest shrewd maneuver by Hoyer that landed the Cubs one of the best in the game for a record contract at the expense of parting ways with Ross. But that was a price Hoyer was willing to pay. The Cubs want to harness the way Counsell and the Brewers consistently outperformed expectations during his nine seasons at the helm.

Counsell always seemed to get the best out of his roster.

“My job is to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can in the short term and the long term, and there was nothing about this move that didn’t feel like met that criteria,” Hoyer said Tuesday at the MLB general managers meetings. “There’s no knock on Rossy, who I think incredibly highly of, but I just felt like Craig is at the very, very top of the game.

“It was a really hard decision and obviously some really hard conversations around with that. But I felt like it was just the right thing to do.”

Could Ross have unknowingly saved his job had the Cubs not blown their hold on a playoff spot in the final weeks and instead earned a wild-card spot? This hypothetical scenario for the 83-79 Cubs and the speculation of whether he would have pursued Counsell had that come to fruition was a hard question to answer, Hoyer said. However, he pointed to the Cubs’ plus-96 run differential — fourth-best in the National League — and their above-average run prevention, which featured three Gold Glove award winners, yet still falling short of the postseason.

“At the end of the year I said something to the effect of I felt like we left wins on the table and I still feel that way now,” Hoyer said. “… To not make the playoffs, it does bother me. And that’s not all on one person. That’s on me and every person in the organization, but it felt like we left wins on the table regardless of the way it happened because I do think it was amazingly impressive to win like we did for those three months.”

As Nov. 1 approached — when Counsell became a free agent, thus not requiring the Cubs to get permission from Milwaukee to talk to him — Hoyer chatted a little bit with chairman Tom Ricketts about the possibility of bringing the Brewers’ longtime manager to the North Side. However, through October, the circle within the organization who knew of Hoyer’s thinking was “as small as you could make it” because “we have had a very capable manager (in) Rossy, there was a real sensitivity toward it.”

Hoyer flew to Ross’ home in Tallahassee to deliver the news in person Monday. General manager Carter Hawkins made most of the calls informing players of the move. Hoyer wanted to keep the details of the emotional conversation between them but described Ross’ reaction as “amazingly respectful.” The hardest part, Hoyer said, was thinking about Ross’ tenure and the tough moments they had gone through together: the pandemic-shortened 2020 season for Ross’ first year, selling the 2016 World Series championship core at the trade deadline in 2021 and the roster fallout from taking that path.

“He was a great partner through all of that,” Hoyer said. “I think the world of him. I think he’s got an amazingly bright future. He’ll clearly land on his feet and have a great career in this game for a long time. But there was a suddenness to all this that was unavoidable but unfortunate.”

Hoyer felt the organization needed to be opportunistic to seize the chance to hire Counsell, adding that taking this route does not mean he thinks Ross was the wrong hire before the 2020 season.

“You have to be willing to take risks and you have to be willing to make really hard and unpopular decisions and I’ve had to make a lot of those decisions, and ultimately what I always try to get to a point of is if it’s a really hard decision and I’m willing to make it, then I feel like that means I’m doing the right thing for the organization,” Hoyer said. “Yes, it was incredibly hard to let Rossy go. I felt like it was my responsibility to the organization to do that.”

With Counsell in the fold, the next step is sorting out who will remain from the Cubs’ coaching staff. Roughly a half dozen conversations Monday centered on the topic, Hoyer estimated, as Counsell began the process of making calls. Hoyer anticipates a lot of the 2023 coaching staff will be back, though there might be some reshuffling of roles. Counsell has asked Hoyer for feedback but it will be the new manager’s decision.

“Clearly you don’t give him the contract we gave him and make that aggressive move in order to handpick a staff for him,” Hoyer said. “Let him get a week or so under his belt and we’ll have a better feel for that.”

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