NFL Power Rankings: Cleveland Browns bringing up the rear

Dec 27, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Browns tight end E.J. Bibbs (88) is unable to catch this pass while defended by Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Sean Smith (21) in the second half at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City won the game 17-13. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

With one week to go in the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns remain near the bottom of the weekly power rankings.

Another week and another loss for the Cleveland Browns in a season the mercifully comes to an end on Sunday.

The Browns battled on the road against the Kansas City Chiefs, but came up short despite the defense shutting out the Chiefs for the second half.

Cleveland had chances and had the ball twice in the final minutes with a chance to win the game, which was nice, but ultimately came up short once again.

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“I feel very good about the way we played in the second half. Just some of the issues we had in the first half gave us very little margin for error in the second half,” head coach Mike Pettine said on Monday. “As I’ve always talked about here, we’re not into moral victories. We have to play better. We have to play smarter for a longer period of time.

‘I thought we made good adjustments at halftime, played a lot better in the second half. We had a chance on the road against a quality opponent to win it in the end and couldn’t get it done. When you’re this late in the season, you continue to try to learn from each circumstance and hope that all of these experiences will help us in the future.”

The loss kept the Browns in a familiar place near the bottom of the weekly NFL power rankings.

Elliott Harrison at NFL.com (27, no change):

"Maybe Johnny Manziel will get reprimanded by the league and all that jazz, but I personally liked the helmet-throwing emotion we saw from Mr. Football on Sunday. The guy clearly wants to win. OK, everyone wants to win. But how about guys who hate losing? It didn’t look like Manziel was playing to any cameras at the end of the tight loss to the Chiefs, when the officials took their sweet time spotting the football as the clock ticked away. Manziel’s passing numbers weren’t great, but don’t tell me he wasn’t competing his butt off out there. He eclipsed 100 yards rushing against that Chiefs defense, too. (Cincinnati No. 9, Pittsburgh No. 7, Baltimore No. 28)"

Frank Schwab at Yahoo Sports (31, down one):

"Johnny Manziel went 13-of-32 for 136 yards on Sunday. If this last stretch was an audition, I think he needs a strong finish. Too inconsistent for a team to feel good building around him next offseason. (Cincinnati No. 5, Pittsburgh No. 11, Baltimore No. 28)"

Sean Tomlinson at Bleacher Report (31, down 1):

"Late December is a time for playoff-clinching scenarios that require algebra. But here’s an easier scenario on the other end of the standings: If the Cleveland Browns lose in Week 17 and Tennessee wins, the team with Johnny Manziel currently as its quarterback will hold the first overall draft pick in 2016."

"So the evaluation of Manziel’s time as a starter is about to reach another gear. Sunday we saw the expected athletic flare from him, and plenty of wobbly footballs."

"Basically, we saw something that’s become familiar: a developing quarterback who’s still very raw."

"Manziel ran for 108 yards, and led an offense that rushed for a season-high 232 yards. That was the athletic Manziel at work. Then the still-inaccurate Manziel completed only five of his 18 pass attempts during the fourth quarter of a game Cleveland lost to the Kansas City Chiefs by four points."

"He’s a work in progress, and the Browns have to decide if that work will continue under their watch. (Cincinnati No. 8, Pittsburgh No. 13, Baltimore No. 28)"

FanSided (30, no change):

"The Cleveland Browns are an absolutely dreadful team. At 3-12, they are headed for one of the top two picks in the 2016 NFL Draft, along with the Tennessee Titans. Cleveland was actually able to beat that rancid dumpster fire, which is why they lose the tiebreaker."

"On Sunday, the Browns actually held their own against the Kansas City Chiefs, who had everything in the world to play for. Kansas City entered the game at Arrowhead Stadium with an eight-game winning streak, and extended it to nine mostly because the Browns don’t have any weapons outside of Gary Barnidge."

"Cleveland started quarterback Johnny Manziel and hoped to get some juice out of him, but he only completed 13-of-32 throws with an interception. Manziel did keep the Browns alive with his legs, rushing for more than 100 yards on the afternoon. However, Cleveland could not finish off most of its drives because the Browns lack the ability to block or hit tight windows with throws."

"At this point, it is very obvious that the front office needs to be dismantled. Owner Jimmy Haslam needs to make some serious changes starting with the firing of general manager Ray Farmer and head coach Mike Pettine, who has the franchise going into complete reverse. (Cincinnati No. 4, Pittsburgh No. 9, Baltimore No. 27)"

Pete Prisco at CBS Sports (30, down 1):

"Johnny Manziel has done some interesting things, but will this staff be back to see him develop? (Cincinnati No. 5, Pittsburgh No. 12, Baltimore No. 28)"

ESPN (30, up 2):

"Browns point totals in Johnny Manziel’s past five starts: 10, 9, 24, 13, 13. The Browns are 1-4 in those starts, beating only the 49ers. (Cincinnati No. 6, Pittsburgh No. 9, Baltimore No. 24)"

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