Playoffs? You kidding me? Playoffs? For the 2026 Cleveland Browns?
About a quarter of the way through the regular season, Todd Monken’s team has put itself firmly in that mix — and the latest NFL power rankings prove it.
FanSided’s Week 5 update has the Browns climbing 10 spots — from No. 22 to No. 12 overall. Entering a matchup against the 1-3 New York Jets, and with a favorable schedule overall, it’s becoming hard to separate Cleveland from early playoff chatter with the calendar now flipped to October.
“People I really respect in this league are telling me the Browns have a shot at the playoffs, and I agree,” FanSided insider Jason La Canfora wrote. “Is Todd Monken working football miracles with Deshaun Watson? The offensive talent is real, the vibes are high and they should have enough coverage and pass rush to stack some wins with a last-place schedule.”
The Cleveland Browns may be more than just an early-season flash in the pan
Per ESPN’s Daniel Oyefusi, the Browns opened the week as 1.5-point road underdogs to the Jets. A win in East Rutherford would move them to 4-1. They already sit atop the AFC North standings based on division record (1-0), and top contender Baltimore is now dealing with an ankle injury to quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The biggest thing working in Cleveland’s favor has nothing to do with its schedule or divisional rivals, though. The Browns have won three straight games despite not coming close to playing their best four quarters of football yet. They lead the NFL in penalties per game (10.8), rank bottom third in rush yards per attempt (3.6), and have relied on game-winning drives in the fourth quarter in all three of their wins.
A lot of their problems right now should be fixable, especially as Monken continues to get more comfortable doubling as both the sideline manager and offensive play caller. The offensive line is performing well and the dormant running game showed some signs of life against the Steelers last week. The offense is still finding its groove with rookie wideouts Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion as the top options, along with second-year tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
Meanwhile, quarterback Deshaun Watson is playing his best football in five years and the defense under new coordinator Mike Rutenberg is looking more dynamic and dominant by the week.
The Browns have one of the youngest rosters in football and are just scratching the surface. It’s still way too early in the season to make any bold proclamations. But a win over the Jets this week would send Cleveland’s implied AFC playoff odds to levels that would be impossible to ignore.
Per The Athletics playoff simulator, the Browns currently have a 29% chance to qualify, up from 10.7% entering the season. Cleveland’s odds would jump to 40% with a win over the Jets and 12 games left to play.
FanSided's Week 5 power rankings
- Chiefs (last week's ranking: 2)
- Seahawks (1)
- 49ers (9)
- Jaguars (8)
- Rams (6)
- Bills (4)
- Vikings (7)
- Bears (13)
- Broncos (3)
- Ravens (12)
- Raiders (11)
- Browns (22)
- Cowboys (15)
- Saints (14)
- Patriots (23)
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