The Browns are sitting in first place in the AFC North, but that hasn’t translated into universal love in the Week 7 power rankings. Cleveland climbed 3.6 spots week to week to an overall ranking of 16.1, a sharp reversal from last week’s 3.6-point drop. The win helped, sure, but the broader read remains the same: respect for the defense, skepticism about the offense, and plenty of questions about how long this can last.
CBS Sports had Cleveland at No. 16, up three spots, and framed the start bluntly: “Can you believe they are in first place in the AFC North after six games? Amazing.
The defense is top-10 in scoring right now. Impressive.”
ESPN moved the Browns to No. 19, up four, and put the spotlight on the offense’s biggest problem. The outlet pointed to run blocking, noting that quarterback Deshaun Watson’s poor play in the first three quarters of games has mattered too, but coach Todd Monken has said the inconsistent run game has put Watson and the offense in tough spots.
With a completely new offensive line from last season, Cleveland ranks 24th in ESPN’s run block win rate metric and last in yards before contact per rush on designed runs at 1.29. That’s part of why the Browns are averaging the eighth-longest average conversion distance in the NFL at 8.9.
NFL.com ranked Cleveland No. 16, up five spots, and leaned into how little sense the winning formula makes on paper. The Browns keep relying on a familiar script: lean on a suffocating defense, survive the punches, and hope the offense can do just enough. It worked again Sunday, adding another AFC North win and giving Cleveland first place in the division at the latest point in a season since 2014.
Sporting News also slotted the Browns at No. 16, up four, and pointed to the defense’s steady rise under new coordinator Mike Rutenberg. Cleveland is allowing 20.3 points per game, tied with the Seahawks and Jets for seventh in the league. Last season, with Myles Garrett, the Browns allowed 22.3.
Yahoo Sports had the Browns at No. 19, up three, but kept the caution light on. Cleveland has four close wins in the final minutes, and the last two victories came in the final 10 seconds.
The Browns are 21st in DVOA, while their offense is 29th. Yahoo noted that in betting terms, they have the longest odds to win the AFC North despite being in first place.
Still, the outlet acknowledged the upside of the moment in Cleveland.
That defense remains the reason the Browns keep surviving. Yahoo pointed out that unit is ninth in DVOA, and linebacker Carson Schwesinger, last season’s NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, made one of the season’s biggest plays with a forced fumble on Derrick Henry in the fourth quarter that led to a Browns touchdown and changed the game.
“It’s been an unbelievable credit to our team, especially our defense,” Browns head coach Todd Monken said, according to the team’s site. “Early on, after 10 points, shutting them out and constantly getting us the ball back and giving us a chance to win.”
Bleacher Report placed Cleveland at No. 13, up four, and laid out the formula in plain terms. The Browns have built an AFC North-leading 4-2 record by asking their defense to carry the load for more than three quarters, then letting Watson handle the critical moments.
Watson has not played especially well overall, but he has done enough late to help Cleveland keep stacking wins. Even so, Bleacher Report questioned whether this approach can hold up once the Browns run into stronger teams.
It also noted that Lamar Jackson was not in the Ravens’ lineup during Sunday’s matchup and that Cleveland’s schedule looks manageable, with only one opponent above .500 between now and the start of December.
USA Today ranked the Browns No. 14, up two, and zeroed in on where they stand in the standings: first place at the latest point of a season since 2014. The outlet also posed the obvious question about whether a team scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET for the rest of the season might eventually get a prime-time flex.
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For Cleveland, the bigger picture is becoming hard to ignore. Schwesingers steady impact has pushed him into a conversation that usually belongs to the leagues most disruptive defenders, and the way he has produced so far has prompted comparisons to past Defensive Player of the Year winners. The question now is less about whether he has been one of the Browns best defensive players and more about how far that level of play can take him over the rest of the season. [Read more 🡒]