Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 5.
CBS Sports - No. 14 (up 5 spots)
So that’s the offense we expected to see. What they showed against the Ravens was impressive. Can they keep it up?
ESPN - No. 17 (up 3 spots)
How to increase their playoff chances: Survive the next three games. If the Browns can just get to 3-4, the back half of the schedule opens up for them, with seven games against opponents that have, as of Sunday, not yet won a game. Cleveland can easily outdo the 3-4 threshold if it keeps playing the way it did on Sunday. But at the very least, if the Browns win just one out of the next three, the chances of securing a playoff spot should go up exponentially.
NFL.com - No. 14 (up 7 spots)
Now those were the Browns we’ve all been expecting this season. Cleveland piled up 530 yards and 40 points on the Ravens in Baltimore and now suddenly finds itself atop the AFC North at the season’s quarter point. Baker Mayfield got back on track after a week of outside criticism, but the real star on Sunday was running back Nick Chubb, who went off for 165 rushing yards and three touchdowns, including the game-changing 88-yard score in the fourth quarter. We got both sides of Chubb’s game in this one: He wasn’t touched on his 88-yard score, showing eye-popping burst. On his first TD, a 14-yard run, he ran through three would-be tacklers. The Browns’ defense also deserves credit. Coordinator Steve Wilks’ unit kept Baltimore QB Lamar Jackson in check, even without the services of injured starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams. This is a dangerous team.
A confident and convincing win for the preseason darlings over the early-season darlings. Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb tore through what had been a good Ravens D.
Yahoo Sports - No. 12 (up 6 spots)
For all of the Browns’ early-season issues, 2-2 with a share of first place doesn’t look bad at all. And a road win at Baltimore will be a huge asset all season. If you had to pick the AFC North favorite right now, you’d probably go with the Browns. That would have seemed crazy a few days ago.
Bleacher Report - No. 12 (up 6 spots)
After losing two of three to open the season, there was plenty of talk this week concerning what was “wrong” with the Cleveland Browns. All it took was a few hours to change that conversation markedly.
The Browns played easily their most complete game of the season in handling the Ravens in Baltimore to assume first place in the AFC North. Offensively, the Browns got a 342-yard effort from quarterback Baker Mayfield and a massive game from tailback Nick Chubb. Defensively, the Browns kept the highest-scoring team in the league in check most of the game and forced Baltimore’s first three turnovers of the season.
”Sunday we saw the recipe for the Browns to win games,” Davenport wrote. “Cleveland leaned on Nick Chubb and the run game and used quick passes to compensate for deficiencies along the offensive line. The best part about the recipe is that it’s easily duplicated—play like that over the next month, and the Browns may yet survive a brutal stretch on the schedule.”
”Cleveland deserves credit for fighting back after that brutal start,” Gagnon added. “The Browns are a play or two short of being 3-0 since that loss to the Titans, and they’re right back in the thick of things after hammering a division rival on the road. They’re the best team in the AFC North, and they have the talent to pull away.”
Associated Press - No. 15 (up 4 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 | 27 | 14 | 15 | 25 |
| ESPN | 29 | 17 | 10 | 26 |
| NFL.com | 27 | 14 | 16 | 26 |
| MMQB | 28 | 16 | 14 | 25 |
| Yahoo Sports | 29 | 12 | 16 | 25 |
| Bleacher Report | 30 | 12 | 11 | 24 |
| Associated Press | 29 | 15 | 13 | 25 |
| Average | 28.4 (up 0.5) |
14.3 (up 5.0) |
13.6 (down 6.0) |
25.1 (down 0.1) |