Last week, of the four sites I listed, the Browns averaged out around 28th. On the heels of their home-opener win against the New Orleans Saints, most sites have the Browns headed in the right direction.
Let's take a look at where the Browns grade out this week.
SB Nation: 23
The Browns just narrowly missed out on a comeback victory over the Steelers in Week 1 and pulled off the upset over the Saints in Week 2, showing what PFT Commenter might call a lot of "grit" and "moxie" in the process. Brian Hoyer might not be "elite," but he's getting the job done so far. The Browns' run game is looking very strong, averaging 150+ yards and 5.1 yards per carry after two games.
Yahoo! Sports: 25
"You have to give a lot of credit to Browns coach Mike Pettine. With a shorthanded team, he guided it to a win over a good Saints team. Nice way to get your first win."
CBS Sports: 21
"That was an impressive final drive against the Saints. That's something to build on."
Pro Football Talk: 21
"If this team is still in the hunt after Josh Gordon comes back, things could get very interesting in December."
Current Wk. | Last Wk. | Up/Down | Best To Date (week) | |
SB Nation | 23 | 28 | +5 | 23 (3) |
Yahoo! Sports | 25 | 29 | +4 | 25 (3) |
CBS Sports | 21 | 25 | +4 | 21 (3) |
ProFootballTalk | 21 | 31 | +10 | 21 (3) |
Well, the World Wide Web sure thinks the Browns made some big strides against the Saints. Hard to disagree with the rankings after two games. SB Nation probably has them graded the most fair, in my opinion. Yahoo! probably has them a little low. I mean do they honestly still believe the Rams and Vikings are better than the Browns right now? Come on. CBS and PFT both check the Browns in at #21, being the most optimistic of the selections.
With the way the Browns are running the football, coupled with the fact that they're still nursing some injuries (Ben Tate, Jordan Cameron, etc), it's not out of the question that the Browns can keep climbing. Am I victory-drunk? Perhaps. But, there's reason for optimism in Cleveland, so let's roll with it.
What do you guys think? Where should the Browns be ranked?