AFC North Power Rankings: Cleveland Browns aren't alone in their struggles

2. Cleveland Browns

A golden opportunity was lost by the Cleveland Browns over the past two weeks. After giving the Ravens their third loss on the season, they could have entered Week 14 with a tie for the lead had they taken care of business on the road. Both games were going to be tough but they had a shot in each.

First, it was the Denver Broncos who wound up winning 29-12. That was a game where Cleveland was down by 14 and then fought back to make it 14-12 — failing to tie it when Amari Cooper dropped a two-point conversion. But from there, they made too many mistakes and gave the game away.

Against the Rams, they were off to a better start but they found themselves down 20-13 late. Again, they made it close with a Harrison Bryant touchdown making it 20-19. As they did last week, the Browns failed to tie it up, this time with Dustin Hopkins missing the extra point. They also never scored again and the flood gates opened for the opponent.

Joe Flacco wound up throwing a pick to John Johnson III, who decided to trash-talk his former team afterward, and they then couldn't convert on a fourth down once the score was 27-19. Los Angeles scored after the turnover on downs and a saftey made it 36-19.

Thankfully, the Browns are going back home where they're 5-1. Unfortunatley, they will be facing the Jacksonville Jaguars who are 8-3 and 5-0 on the road. A win would be huge but it will be tough. They do still control their playoff chances and home games against the Bears in Week 15 and Jets in Week 17 should help.