NFL Power Rankings Week 14: Browns Dropping

The Browns went on the road to Buffalo, but were not able to come back with a win. It's a tough loss to take because in a playoff hunt, getting wins is pivotal to staying alive, regardless of what the other teams do around you. Cleveland hasn't eliminated themselves from contention yet, far from it, but winning against Buffalo certainly would have helped the cause.

With the loss, let's take a look now where the media is ranking the Browns this week.

SB Nation: 19

"The 7-5 bubble

...

The Browns have dropped two of their last three, signaling that the feel-good hit of the fall might have reached its terminus ... unless Johnny Manziel can do something about it."

Yahoo! Sports: 17

"I'd stick with Brian Hoyer. I think Johnny Manziel needs a full year of development and he won't have success this year. Also, in a few weeks you can go from Hoyer to Manziel a lot easier than you can go from Manziel back to Hoyer."

CBS Sports: 18

"The quarterback decision is coming, and it should be Johnny Manziel. He's the future. This team isn't a playoff team now."

Pro Football Talk: 18

"Brian Hoyer’s bet on himself apparently wasn’t placed with a money phone."

NFL.com: 19

"Here's hoping that Johnny Manziel lights it up for Cleveland, as 2002 seems like way too long ago -- this club could use a playoff berth. I want to see that happen. That said, listening to the Browns radio broadcast Sunday, all I heard was "Johnny Football." And every other Cleveland player was called by their first name. And I think I heard the rare moniker of, uh, Bills, just once. Hey, I'm all for homerism, but holy cow, this approached Harry Caray levels. That's OK -- I guess it just means it will be that much more fun if this group is playing in January."

Losing at Buffalo is not a terrible loss, all things considered. We've certainly seen worse from this club (*cough, Jacksonville, cough*). But, it stings nevertheless.

In my opinion these rankings seem fair. Buffalo is a pretty tough team, and that defense is solid. And the game was on the road. So you can't fault the Browns too much for dropping this one.

I don't think, right now, that the Browns are a better team than the Niners, Bills, Dolphins, etc. All of whom are 7-5 as well. But, they are better than the Rams, Falcons, Saints, etc. I think it's safe to say the Browns are near the bottom of the 'contenders.'

What do y'all think? Ranking(s) fair this week?