NFL Power Rankings: Browns drop to 28th heading into Week 12, as morale falls

Meanwhile, Pittsburgh becomes a Top-5 team in the NFL.

Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 12 of the 2024 NFL season.

CBS Sports – No. 27 (down 4 spots)

That was a terrible showing at New Orleans in the loss to the Saints. From playoffs to this is not a good look.

ESPN – No. 28 (down 1 spots)

Preseason hot seat: LT Jedrick Wills Jr.
Current temperature of hot seat: Boiling

Wills missed three of the first four games of the season as he returned from last year’s season-ending knee injury. He then sat out the Week 8 game against the Ravens with a hyperextended left knee, which he deemed a “business decision.” He was benched in favor of Dawand Jones, but coach Kevin Stefanski said Wills’ comments played no role in the decision. With Jones now out for the season due to a left leg fracture, Wills is back in the starting lineup in a contract year. Wills’ 65.7% run block win rate would rank fourth worst among qualifying tackles.

NFL.com – No. 26 (no change)

Cleveland had 443 yards of offense and zero turnovers against New Orleans … but totaled just 14 points. Two missed field-goal tries and two turnovers on downs explain that to a degree, but the defense was bad enough that it didn’t even matter. The Browns allowed 473 yards and 35 points to the Saints and also had a bad all-around game on special teams, too. If there was a bright spot with an eye on the future, it was that some of the playmakers stepped up with big outings. Jerry Jeudy had his best game as a Brown, with 142 receiving yards, including an 89-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown. David Njoku, Elijah Moore and Cedric Tillman also pitched in with good moments. All of them have shown signs of life since Cleveland traded away Amari Cooper, and the move to QB Jameis Winston hasn’t hurt, either. There aren’t many silver linings in three-TD losses, but the receivers were definitely one positive.

Sporting News – No. 30 (down 1 spot)

The Browns are doing their best to do enough offensively with Jameis Winston, but they should be shocked by how much their defense has fallen apart from one season to the next.

Yahoo Sports – No. 27 (down 2 spots)

Jameis Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns and it didn’t seem like it. The Browns are a sad story. The biggest issue is the collapse of their defense, which allowed 473 yards at New Orleans.

Bleacher Report – No. 31 (no change)

There’s no sugar-coating how awful the 2024 Browns are. They can move the ball but can’t score points. The defense is atrocious. The kicker can’t hit from 27 yards. And with a number of bad contracts on the books (including arguably the worst in NFL history), there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Or there is—and it’s a train headed straight toward them.

“The truth comes out on Sundays (and occasionally Thursdays), and when bad decisions at key positions compound, there’s no running from it,” Zac Jackson of The Athletic wrote. “The Browns are one of the worst and oldest teams in the league. That’s not the combination anybody wants, obviously, but it’s the current reality.

“There are still seven games for evaluation and for players to make impressions. There are potential jobs across the depth chart to be won in future years. But the Browns’ fourth-quarter fizzle reinforced what’s long been in front of all involved, specifically those who signed off on the construction of this team. The failures are everywhere.”

Analyst’s Take

Either the Browns are actively trying to earn the top pick in the 2025 draft—and everyone, including kicker Dustin Hopkins and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, is in on the tank job—or this team has simply quit on the 2024 season. Cleveland showed some flashes in the passing game on Sunday, but its defense and special-teams units seemed shockingly ill-prepared coming out of the bye. The Browns have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 pick whether they want it or not. The question now is whether a top draft pick will pull an Eli Manning and refuse to play for Cleveland.

USA Today – No. 28 (down 2 spots)

They had the league’s No. 1 defense in 2023. Now? It’s merely a unit that doesn’t have a prayer of stopping Taysom Hill.

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

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What do you think of the Browns’ ranking this week?