Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 12.
CBS Sports - No. 24 (down 1 spot)
They come off their bye building for the future. Who will be the coach for that future?
SB Nation - No. 23 (no change)
NFL.com - No. 22 (no change)
Baker Mayfield was feelin’ it against the Falcons in Week 10. Just what you want a young quarterback to experience: playing his best game before heading into a bye. Seems like that has happened several times with teams this year, where they play their finest football ... only to head into the off week. Although after 10 games, every organization in the league could use some space to balance the checkbook, per se: cold-tub time, training, stepping into Terrell Owens’ hyperbaric chamber, that kind of stuff. The Browns expected to be better than 3-6-1. But there are a few areas in which they’ve excelled. Heading into this past weekend, they ranked first in the NFL in takeaways at 25. In the same vein, Cleveland has surrendered zero giveaways in the red zone, which is impressive with a rookie quarterback starting. The running game has started chugging, too, as the Browns are now up to 133.2 rushing yards per game, fifth in the league.
MMQB - No. 27 (down 2 spots)
A stray thought I’ve had the last two weeks: Seeing all of these bad teams pick up their second and third wins of the year reinforces just how bad the Browns had to be to go 0-16 last year. Is that a rude thing to say to Cleveland fans on the bye week?
Yahoo Sports - No. 24 (no change)
If the Browns-Condoleezza Rice story came from somewhere within the organization, Cleveland probably assumed it’d get universal praise for thinking creatively about its next coach (there was never a chance of Rice coaching the Browns, so there had to be some reason to leak that story). As we know, universal praise did not happen.
ESPN - No. 25 (no change)
Thankful for: A fervently loyal and devoted fan base. The Browns have not had a winning season since 2007. They’ve lost at least 10 games in nine of the past 10 seasons. Yet through change and nonsense and a “Perfect Season Parade” (to mark last season’s 0-16 record) and the news that a former national security advisor may interview to be the team’s coach, the fans keep showing interest and showing up. They’re like the clown toy with the weighted base: Every time they’re hit, they bounce right back for more.
Associated Press - No. 24 (down 2 spots)
Listed below is a summary table of where teams in the AFC North are ranked this week.
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| Bengals | Browns | Ravens | Steelers | |
| CBS Sports | 20 | 24 | 15 | 5 |
| SB Nation | 18 | 23 | 10 | 4 |
| NFL.com | 21 | 22 | 11 | 4 |
| MMQB | 22 | 27 | 16 | 4 |
| Yahoo Sports | 19 | 24 | 14 | 4 |
| ESPN | 19 | 25 | 13 | 4 |
| Associated Press | 19 | 24 | 15 | 5 |
| Average | 19.7 (down 2.1) |
24.1 (down 0.7) |
13.4 (up 3.7) |
4.3 (up 0.8) |