ESPN NFL Power Rankings: Browns With Biggest Jump
The Cleveland Browns lead the AFC North after a sound beatdown of the Cincinnati Bengals. ESPN NFL Power Rankings have not given a ton of respect to the Browns due to their limited wins against good teams. Some thought that would continue after Thursday Night’s big win. Instead of giving Mike Pettine’s bunch credit, the thought was, ESPN would note how terrible Andy Dalton was.
That thought was proven wrong as ESPN NFL Power Rankings are out and the Cleveland Browns had the biggest jump of any team, eight spots:
"11Browns6-3Last Week: 19Cleveland had 132 rushing yards and three touchdowns inside the tackles Thursday, both season highs. Cleveland’s 132 yards inside the tackles were its most since Week 7 of 2011 (vs. Seahawks)."
The Browns have established themselves near the Top 10 with their solid 6 – 3 record. Based on the results of the games the Browns could be 8 – 1 had a the close games against the Ravens and Steelers gone their way.
None the less the Browns are likely a very volatile team for these Power Rankings. A loss this week could plummet them quickly back down the chart.
The Bengals fell 5 spots for their loss while the Steelers had the biggest drop, 7 spots, for losing to the New York Jets. The division rival Ravens sit two spots below the Browns at #13.
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The Steelers, Ravens and Browns are the three lowest ranked 6 win teams. Ahead of the Browns, with 6 wins, are the Green Bay Packers, Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Patriots head the rankings, with the Cardinals, Broncos, Eagles, Lions and Cowboys also in the Top 10.
The Browns have an interesting finishing schedule, including games against the Ravens and Bengals, as well as facing off with the Colts, likely their toughest test of their last 7 games. Yet after this week’s showdown with the Houston Texans the Browns will get All World receiver Josh Gordon back which could be a game changer.
What do you think of the Browns meteoric rise in ESPN NFL Power Rankings?