When it comes to power rankings, the whole idea of their value flows from the fact that they're somewhat of a living document. They shift with the ebbs and flows of a season, with each performance typically reflecting a jump or a tumble, often at a knee-jerk pace. The challenge becomes weighing out the significance of a team's performance, while also taking into account the strength or weakness of their opponent.
The fine folks at NFL Spin Zone have been posting their weekly power rankings of the entire league each week. In the ramp-up to week one, the Cleveland Browns were ranked #30. A surprising performance - albeit in defeat - at the hands of the Joe Burrow-led Cincinnati Bengals saw the Browns make a leap to #24 heading into week two.
The Browns' performance against the Ravens saw them plummet to #32 in the week three rankings. The view here is that while, yes, the final score was gruesome (41-17), the Ravens hardly blew the Browns off the field. A halftime score of 10-3 in favor of the Ravens had only modestly grown to 20-10 entering the fourth quarter. Baltimore ended up running up the score towards the end. Nonetheless, the Browns fell to dead last.
That essentially gets you up to speed, where the Browns were finally given some respect, after pulling off a miraculous upset against the red-hot Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Packers, coming off victories against two of the NFC's most formidable squads - the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders - had become a trendy Super Bowl pick amidst their rolling start and headline-grabbing acquisition of superstar EDGE rusher Micah Parsons.
Browns jump to 24 in power rankings following upset over Packers
Green Bay entered Sunday's contest as 7.5-point favorites, and looked on their way to covering with a 10-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Cleveland's defense stymied Jordan Love and the Packers' playmakers while waiting for any spark of life from their own woeful offense. Browns rookie tailback Quinshon Judkins answered the call, with the help of two Andre Szmyt field goals, and the Browns sent a shock through the NFL ecosystem.
For their effort, the Browns jumped to #24, the same spot they occupied after losing to a Cincinnati team that has since lost Joe Burrow for a significant amount of time. The hype for Green Bay had reached such a point that there were certain Packers players talking about going undefeated. That same player caught a glimpse of Myles Garrett and had no choice but to screech "Jordan, run!" to his imperiled quarterback.
Some other 1-2 teams that are featured above the Browns include the New England Patriots (lone victory against the toothless Dolphins), Las Vegas Raiders (lone victory against the aforementioned Patriots; currently coming off a 17-point loss to Jayden Daniels-less Commanders), Chicago Bears (lone victory against the dysfunctional Cowboys, suffered a 31-point loss to the Lions two weeks ago).
It's going to take a few more shockers before people realize how legitimately dangerous this Browns defense is. Any development of a competent offense will likely turn this Browns team from a doormat into a team no one wants to play this year.
They'll get their next opportunity to disprove the doubters on Sunday in Detroit against the Lions.