NFL Power Rankings: Browns moving on up
By Thomas Moore
Sep 20, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin (11) jumps over Tennessee Titans punter Brett Kern (6) on a punt return for a touchdown during the second quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
The latest NFL power rankings are out and the Cleveland Browns are on an upward swing after their victory of Tennessee in the home opener.
During the win over the Titans, the Browns defense sacked quarterback Marcus Mariota seven times and make him look like a rookie quarterback making just his second start in the NFL.
On Monday, head coach Mike Pettine gave a tip of the hat to the home crowd for its role in the win.
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“There is no substitute for going through it. You can pipe in crowd noise or play music at practice, whatever it is. Until you go through it and feel it in that exact moment it is difficult, but I thought it was certainly a home-field advantage yesterday,” Pettine said. “I thought the crowd did an outstanding job. I think it is a good blend.
“It is a good marriage from a standpoint of what we do defensively requires a lot of communication on offense. We move guys around. We will line up in some different fronts. We are not a standard four-down team where it is a little easier to identify, make protection calls and those types of things. We force teams to communicate a lot. When it is noisy at our place it is certainly an advantage.”
As the Browns being preparing for Sunday’s home game against Oakland, which comes in on a high after beating Baltimore on a last-minute touchdown pass, here is how Cleveland stands in the current rankings.
Elliott Harrison at NFL.com (25, up 6)
"Can you really give the keys back to Josh McCown at this point? Answer: Yes, you could. John Football did indeed have two very nice throws that got plenty of burn on all the highlight shows. What said shows didn’t show: The fact that he completed just six other passes (for 62 yards) the rest of the game. Still, the upside is with No. 2 out there, so I think you stick with him. Mike Pettine and I aren’t friends on LinkedIn, so he’s probably not going to consult me. Helluva game, Travis Benjamin. (Cincinnati No. 4, Pittsburgh No. 8 and Baltimore No. 22)"
Related: Browns run defense still a major liability
Frank Schwab at Yahoo Sports (22, up 4):
"I’m still not on board with giving Johnny Manziel the starting job. He’s making progress, but it might be best if the Browns still play the slow game with him. (Cincinnati No. 4, Pittsburgh No. 8 and Baltimore No. 16)"
Pete Prisco at CBS Sports (24, up 5):
"It should be Johnny Manziel the rest of the way. Forget Josh McCown. It’s all about finding out more about Johnny Football. (Cincinnati No. 5, Pittsburgh No. 7 and Baltimore No. 16)"
Sean Tomlinson at Bleacher Report (21, up 4):
"Sure, it came against the Tennessee Titans and their defense that added pieces throughout the offseason but still has much of the same 26th-ranked unit from 2014. And sure, in a win Sunday Cleveland Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel completed only 53.8 percent of his passes."
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"But for the first time in any NFL start, we saw something that’s remained elusive for Manziel: Competence."
"He led two touchdown drives in the first quarter, completing his first five pass attempts. And it seemed that whenever the Browns needed a key drive-saving play, Manziel came through with either his legs, his arm or both."
"Eventually, the Browns will come to realize that of their two mistake-prone and flawed quarterbacks, Manziel has the far higher ceiling and offers the better chance to win games. (Cincinnati No. 3, Pittsburgh No. 7 and Baltimore No. 22)"
"Forget Johnny Manziel, it’s all about Travis Benjamin! Benjamin has scored four of the Browns’ five touchdowns this season and has accounted for 51 percent of the Browns’ receiving yards. (Cincinnati No. 6, Pittsburgh No. 4 and Baltimore No. 17)"