SUNDAY’S GAME

Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield insisted Wednesday he isn’t thinking about making a run for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.

But if Mayfield were to win the award, he conceded it would be nice to have bragging rights against running back Nick Chubb, another rookie of the year candidate.

“It might be revenge for the Rose Bowl, yeah,” Mayfield said with a laugh as the Browns (3-6-1) prepared for Sunday’s road game against the Cincinnati Bengals (5-5).

Chubb’s Georgia Bulldogs defeated Mayfield’s Oklahoma Sooners 54-48 in double overtime Jan. 1 in a College Football Playoff semifinal.

Now Mayfield (No. 1 overall draft pick), Chubb (No. 35 overall) and cornerback Denzel Ward (No. 4 overall) are legitimate rookie of the year candidates. The league honors a rookie on offense and another on defense after every season.

These are the odds for the rookie of the year awards from gambling website Bovada.lv:

Offense — New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley (1-2), Mayfield (2-1) and Chubb (11-1).

Defense — Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leon- ard (2-3), Los Angeles Chargers safety Derwin James (6-5), Dallas Cowboys line- backer Leighton Vander Esch (11-2), Denver Broncos defensive end Bradley Chubb (15- 2) and Ward (16-1).

Left guard Joel Bitonio said the rookie seasons Mayfield, Chubb and Ward are putting together bodes well for the future of the Browns.

“They’ve done a great job, and those are cornerstone positions,” Bitonio said. “You’ve got a quarterback. You’ve got a running back. You have a DB. These guys are playing good football.”

Pro Bowl push

Ward and punter Britton Colquitt lead their positions in Pro Bowl fan voting, the NFL announced. Ward has received 147,901 votes and Colquitt 66,746.

Myles Garrett is second in voting among defensive ends. Bitonio ranks eighth among guards, and Briean Boddy-Calhoun is eighth among special teamers. Chubb is ninth among run- ning backs.

Pro Bowl selections are determined by the consensus votes of fans, players and coaches. Each group’s vote counts one-third toward determining the rosters. Fan voting ends Dec. 13. Players and coaches will vote Dec. 14.

Middle linebacker Joe Schobert was t he o nly Browns player to appear in the Pro Bowl on the heels of last season, and he’s look- ing to return to Orlando for a very specific reason.

“You get a paid vacation if you get to go down to the Pro Bowl, and you get to go to Harry Potter world for Browns at Bengals, 1 p.m., WHIO-TV Ch. 7, Ch. 12, 700, 1530, 95.3, 101.1, 102.7, 104.7 free when it’s in Orlando, so there’s definitely an incentive there for me growing up reading all the books, watching all the movies and stuff,” Schobert said. “But I mean, it’s the best of the best. It’s where you want to be in this profession.”

Comeback trail

The Browns designated starting cornerback Terrance Mitchell to return from injured reserve Wednesday, when he practiced for the first time since suffering a broken right wrist Sept. 30 in a 45-42 overtime loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Mitchell will be eligible to play again Dec. 9 against the Carolina Panthers, so he could be back for the final four games. Last month, Mitchell said he “for sure” planned to return to game action this year.

Mitchell, who had the wrist surgically repaired, joined the Browns in March by sign- ing a three-year, $10 million contract as an unrestricted free agent. He started each of the four games in which he appeared to begin the season and compiled 19 tack- les, one interception, two forced fumbles and a fum- ble recovery. Associated Press

Miguel IOWA CITY, IOWA — Recinos drilled a 41-yard field goal through a driv- ing rain as time expired and Iowa beat Nebraska 31-28 on Friday despite blowing a 15-point lead.

Mekhi Sargent ran for a career-high 173 yards and scored twice for the Hawkeyes (8-4, 5-4 Big Ten), who have won four straight over the Cornhuskers for the first time.

The Hawkeyes nearly blew this one big time though.

A curious decision by Iowa to fake a field goal at Nebraska’s 3-yard line failed, and it led to a 98-yard scoring drive from the Huskers to make it 28-20 with 13:57 to go. Marti- nez then ran it from 3 yards out with 3:22 left and found Kade Warner in the back of the end zone to tie it up.

But star tight end T.J. Hockenson came through for Iowa with a 10-yard catch on a fourth-and-8 with 42 seconds to go — and Recinos put it through the uprights after missing a previous, shorter attempt at the same end of the field.

“In the huddle, we were preaching to hold onto the ball and drive. Hold onto the ball and drive,” Sargent said of Iowa’s 41-yard march to set Recinos up.

Sargent scored late in the second quarter on a 15-yard run and early in the third on a 5-yard pass from Nate Stanley to help the Hawkeyes jump ahead 28-13. But the Huskers and Adrian Martinez, their brilliant freshman quarterback, showed resilience.

“I wish it was a l ittle cleaner. But, I mean, to send the seniors out with a win, you can’t ask for anything more,” Iowa defensive lineman Anthony Nelson said.

Martinez threw for 260 yards and two TDs to lead Nebraska (4-8, 3-6), which went 0-5 on the road in 2018. The Huskers played without injured star wide receiver J.D. Spielman for the second week in a row.

After a three-game losing streak robbed them of a shot at the Big Ten title, the Hawkeyes finished on a high note and will now await their bowl fate. It wouldn’t be surprising to see them end up in either the Holiday or Citrus Bowl.

Buffalo claims MAC East title

Tyree Jackson threw a touchdown pass and Buffalo ran in four scores to beat host Bowling Green 44-14 on Friday to claim its second straight Mid-American Conference East Division championship.

The Bulls (10-2, 7-1) will face Northern Illinois in the conference title game Friday at Detroit’s Ford Field.

Buffalo rebounded from a 52-17 rout at Ohio on Nov. 14 to earn its 10th win, the most since joining the FBS in 1999.