NFL Power Rankings: Cleveland Browns on the roller coaster
By Thomas Moore
Oct 18, 2015; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end Gary Barnidge (82) catches a touchdown pass as Denver Broncos inside linebacker Danny Trevathan (59) defends in the third quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
The Cleveland Browns dropped a disappointing overtime game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.
Cleveland had multiple opportunities to take down the undefeated Broncos and reach the .500 mark on the season, only to come up short.
“You just have to stay the course and trust your process. I think it’ll turn,” quarterback Josh McCown said on Monday. “In Baltimore, we took a step in that direction, and then, we didn’t get it done yesterday. As (head coach Mike Pettine) says, every play matters. That’s what we all have to do a great job of realizing is that you don’t know if this might be that play.
“We look at the tape and you look at it today and go, ‘Man, there’s some really good things on there that we did,’ but there’s also some things that obviously we didn’t do very well. Why did that happen? It’s one guy here, one guy there. We have to continue to do that as a group, everybody tightening that up and hopefully, that’s the thing that gets you over the hump.”
The loss kept the Browns on the roller coaster of the various weekly power rankings.
Elliott Harrison at NFL.com (20, no change):
"Last week, we openly fawned all over Josh McCown? (Question mark intended.) This week, a more understated approach to this blurb. McCown’s interceptions were not fun, the second coming with Cleveland driving for a potential game-winning field goal. The ball was lofted across the field, right into the arms of David Bruton Jr. Watch the replay again. See if you can make sense of it. Whew boy, this was the 1987 AFC Championship Game all over again, with the Browns coming back from a multi-score deficit against the Broncos … before committing a terrible, game-altering turnover. Ugh. (Cincinnati No. 3, Pittsburgh No. 8, Baltimore No. 28)"
Frank Schwab at Yahoo Sports (21, no change):
"The Browns got an interception in overtime and returned it to the Denver 39. They then gave to Robert Turbin (?) for a 3-yard loss, took an 8-yard sack, then took a 2-yard sack and a delay-of-game penalty before punting. The Browns never got the ball back. Brutal. (Cincinnati No. 3, Pittsburgh No. 6, Baltimore no. 29)"
Sean Tomlinson at Bleacher Report (20, down 2):
"Gary Barnidge, your favorite Cleveland Browns tight end superhero who still definitely doesn’t work in human resources at your office, tallied two more touchdowns Sunday. Somehow he’s now scored five times over his last four games."
"But the Browns still lost, and they fell in a particularly devastating way to the Denver Broncos."
"Browns quarterback Josh McCown resumed being, well, Josh McCown when he made two brutal decisions, each leading to interceptions. The second was his most glaring and poorly timed. With the game tied and under a minute remaining, the Browns were on Denver’s 46-yard line. They were potentially one completion away form field-goal range when McCown found himself in a defender’s grasp, yet he still decided arcing a pop fly skyward was wise."
"The easy interception ended Cleveland’s opportunity for a massive upset. (Cincinnati No. 2, Pittsburgh No. 8, Baltimore No. 23)"
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"The Cleveland Browns almost had a reason to celebrate on Sunday, they nearly knocked off the undefeated Denver Broncos on Sunday. They forced the Broncos into overtime and on the first possession of the extra period, they intercepted Peyton Manning. They couldn’t muster up any offense on the following drive and would go on to lose the game. Still, they intercepted Manning three times, Karlos Dansby accounted for two of those and returned one for a touchdown. Travis Benjamin had another big game and looks like a legitimate star. A disappointing result for Browns fans but some silver linings for them to hang their hat on. (Cincinnati No. 1, Pittsburgh No. 8, Baltimore No. 26)"
Pete Prisco at CBS Sports (26, down 4):
"They competed against the Broncos, which is a good sign. The defense showed some signs of life. (Cincinnati No. 2, Pittsburgh No. 10, Baltimore No. 31)"
"The Browns are allowing an NFL-worst 149.8 rushing yards per game this season. Opponents have rushed for at least 150 yards in five of six games. (Cincinnati No. 5, Pittsburgh No. 10, Baltimore No. 28)"