23 - 20

(Dec 21, 2025 · Week 16)

There isn’t an official checklist for what first-year NFL players need to be great, but if there were, box No. 1 would likely be something along the lines of: fearlessness against the league’s already-established greats. Carson Schwesinger’s Defensive Player of the Year-winning tape was built on such examples; on Dec. 21, 2025 — in Cleveland’s faceoff against the league’s then-reigning Most Valuable Player, he added another during a rapid-fire chasedown sack, alongside a 13-yard loss. The clutch 3rd & 9 play both demonstrated Schwesinger’s already-veteran-like instincts, and sidelined the Bills’ high-powered offense. Buffalo prevailed in a 23-20 finish, but Schwesinger’s loaded box score became a case-builder, as he continued one of the great tackling seasons in Browns history through a 14-takedown, one-sack performance.

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