AFC North Power Rankings Week 3: Browns drop while Ravens climb

3. Cleveland Browns (1-1)

It felt as though things would be different this year — and they kind of were. The Cleveland Browns were 1-0 in 2022 and should have started 2-0 for the first time since 1993. Instead, they fell to 1-1 when the defense fell apart and allowed the New York Jets to come back and steal a win.

This year, they again won the opener, sticking it to the Cincinnati Bengals 24-3. They then had a late lead against Pittsburgh despite a comedy of errors which included a pick-six on the first play of the game. But this time, the offense fell apart.

Cleveland had several three-and-outs throughout the game and did very little with the turnovers their defense provided. They also gave the Steelers 14 points with the first-play interception as well as a fourth quarter fumble that turned into the winning score.

To add injury to insult, they also have to figure out how to get the offense on track without Nick Chubb. The All-Pro running back will be gone for the year following an awful knee injury.

Thankfully, it’s a long season and the Browns have plenty of time to turn things around. And their defense is light years ahead of where they were in 2022. But the offense is a mess and it’s mostly on the shoulders of Deshaun Watson who has been awful through two games.