There were more than a few statement wins in Week 3 of the NFL Sunday.
Philadelphia, Miami, and even Jacksonville put the league on notice they have to be dealt with.
But curators of the NFL Power Rankings didn’t overlook the Cleveland Browns‘ win Thursday night.
Cleveland is one of the biggest movers in Week 4 polls, jumping 5 spots to #17 in the NFL.com power ranking.
what a night pic.twitter.com/Ftgkiki6C8
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 23, 2022
Other polls moved the Browns up as many as 9 spots, citing factors such as beating a rival like the Steelers.
Bouncing back from the disastrous collapse versus the Jets showed character and discipline.
But the recognition of Jacoby Brissett as a viable NFL starting quarterback was the most-mentioned reason.
ESPN pushed the Browns all the way to their 11th spot, while USA Today (19) continues to underrate the team.
What They’re Saying
NBC’s Pro Football Talk brought the Browns up 9 places, from #22 to the 13th ranked overall.
Mike Florio said Cleveland can keep winning a lot of games without Deshaun Watson.
ESPN’s Jake Trotter called Brissett’s top-10 QBR the league’s biggest surprise in justifying a 6-spot jump.
Cleveland’s defense kept them from rising more than 4 spots to #15 in the Sporting News rankings.
“WORST RANKINGS YET” pic.twitter.com/uWckDVzOzp
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) September 27, 2022
Vinny Iyer alludes to a higher ranking if not for 2 bad minutes of football against the Jets.
USA Today’s Nate Davis offered that “some folks” might not pull for the Browns in lieu of the Deshaun Watson signing.
But he still bumped the team up 4 places, while mentioning Myles Garrett’s accident as a possible matter of concern.
CBS’ Pete Prisco pulled the Browns up to #12 overall, citing Brissett’s timely throws and the rushing attack.
What It Means To The Browns
Only one NFL Power Ranking matters, and that won’t be recorded until February.
Players only care to be number one at the end of the season, sealed with a Super Bowl victory.
But the Browns’ recent rise through the rankings does matter to some folks.
There was some speculation Cleveland’s rankings were lower because of public perception.
The rest of the world was just seeing what we've been seeing 🤷♂️
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) September 24, 2022
Deshaun Watson’s issues, as noted by USA Today’s Davis, left the public relations department with some work.
But it was his huge guaranteed contract that pitted NFL owners and main office personnel against the franchise.
Winning games behind their chosen place-keeper quarterback, Jacoby Brissett, ends speculation on another matter.
Everybody in the NFL sees the Cleveland Browns did not write off the 2022 season waiting on Watson.
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