Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 3.
CBS Sports - No. 31 (down 1 spot)
They lose games the way you would expect the Browns to lose games. They just can’t get past their own issues.
SB Nation - No. 27 (no change)
NFL.com - No. 27 (up 2 spots)
Oh, Browns. The mini-bump in these rankings is deserved, but I know it won’t do anything to salve the pain of the league’s most wounded fan base. By now, everyone knows Zane Gonzalez missed four kicks: two field goals and two extra points. (Related news: Gonzalez is now looking for work.) But I want to concentrate on the most Browns miss of them all. With just over a minute remaining and the Saints holding an 18-12 lead, Tyrod Taylor delivered an absolute dime to Antonio Callaway for a 47-yard touchdown that took the Superdome crowd’s breath away. But before Browns fans were even done pumping their fists, Gonzalez pulled the extra point wide left. And the game remained tied. Now, maybe Drew Brees would’ve marched the Saints down the field for a game-winning field goal anyway, but momentum is a strange deal -- the Browns commanded all of it after Callaway’s stunning score. Missed XP, pressure off New Orleans and the rest is more winless history.
MMQB - No. 30 (no change)
Yahoo Sports - No. 30 (up 1 spot)
I’ll give Tyrod Taylor credit for driving his team downfield, twice, late in Sunday’s game. But where was that for the first 55 or so minutes? Everything Taylor threw Sunday was short, until he had to air it out. If the Browns are going to play an extremely conservative dink-and-dunk offense, just start rookie Baker Mayfield (which they should be doing anyway).
Pro Football Focus - No. 31 (no change)
The Browns continue to do Brown things as they search for their first victory. Journeyman Tyrod Taylor has left a lot to be desired, posting a passer rating of just 79.9 when he’s been kept clean from pressure, and they have now jettisoned their most talented player to the best team in the AFC. That move will not help them improve in the short term as their success rate on early down passes checks in at just 43 percent.
Associated Press - No. 26 (up 1 spot)
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 | 8 | 31 | 14 | 17 |
| SB Nation | 8 | 27 | 15 | 19 |
| NFL.com | 13 | 27 | 15 | 16 |
| MMQB | 10 | 30 | 20 | 16 |
| Yahoo Sports | 12 | 30 | 14 | 17 |
| Pro Football Focus | 15 | 31 | 13 | 9 |
| Associated Press | 10 | 26 | 16 | 18 |
| Average | 10.9 (up 6.8) |
28.9 (up 0.5) |
15.3 (down 4.6) |
16.0 (down 7.0) |