NFL Power Rankings: Browns’ tie doesn’t earn them much respect still in Week 2

Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 2.

CBS Sports - No. 30 (down 1 spot)

They got a tie against the Steelers, which is like a victory. The defense looked much improved.

SB Nation - No. 27 (up 1 spot)

NFL.com - No. 29 (up 1 spot)

Of course. The game had to end in a tie Sunday. Otherwise it wouldn’t have been the latest error-fest in a long line of Steelers- Browns error-fests. Cleveland’s new-look defense revealed itself early and often in this contest, producing six takeaways in this AFC North slugfest. Unfortunately, while Tyrod Taylor didn’t give away the ball nearly as much as his counterpart, he underthrew open receivers too often, especially in the fourth quarter. In fact, his lone interception came on an underthrow to Josh Gordon. The Browns are not yet viable enough to win when their quarterback misses those opportunities. But they are good enough to tie.

MMQB - No. 30 (no change)

Yahoo Sports - No. 31 (up 1 spot)

Well, the Browns aren’t last anymore. But before we get too excited, let’s keep this in mind: The Browns were at home, were plus-5 in turnover margin, and still couldn’t win. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell pointed out that since 1999, when the new Browns were born, teams at plus-5 or better in turnover margin are 132-4-1 … and the Browns have two of the losses and the tie. But they didn’t lose at least.

Pro Football Focus - No. 31 (up 1 spot)

Associated Press - No. 27 (up 4 spots)

Listed below is a summary table of where teams in the AFC North are ranked this week.

	Bengals	Browns	Ravens	Steelers
CBS Sports	14	30	12	9
SB Nation	14	28	8	10
NFL.com	21	29	9	10
MMQB	23	30	16	9
Yahoo Sports	19	31	12	8
Pro Football Focus	17	31	9	5
Associated Press	16	27	9	12
Average	17.7 (up 3.2)	29.4 (up 0.9)	10.7 (up 5.2)	9.0 (down 2.1)