Although the Cleveland Browns own the 13th-best record in the league, they are not the 13th-best team in the league.
According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), the Browns are the second-best graded team in the NFL.
These rankings are from prior to the Cardinals’ loss to the Packers on Thursday Night Football.
However, it is impressive to see the 2021 edition of the Browns be near the top of this leaderboard.
The Browns have recently missed Baker Mayfield, Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, and Jack Conklin, but they still have a record above .500.
MVP contenders like Kyler Murray, Dak Prescott, Matthew Stafford, and Tom Brady surround Mayfield and the Browns in the top five.
In addition, PFF has ranked Mayfield outside of the top five in terms of which young quarterback will become a Super Bowl champion first.
However, Mayfield has a lot of room to improve in 2021.
With some bounceback games from the No. 1 pick in 2018, he could get this Browns team to the top of the PFF team grades.
Some may wonder how are the Browns the second-best team according to PFF?
Let us take a look at the reasons why:
The Defense: Garrett and Clowney
The Browns have two of the top three players in terms of pressure-rate in Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney:
Highest pressure-rates this season (min. 100 pass-rushes):
T-1️⃣ Myles Garrett, EDGE- 19.8%
3️⃣ Jadeveon Clowney, EDGE- 19.5%The #Browns are the only team with two in the top-7 💪 pic.twitter.com/GF5fmYR0J1
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) October 26, 2021
Garrett leads the NFL with 9.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.
He is on pace to surpass his career-high totals of 13.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
In terms of the team, the Browns allow five yards per offensive play, which ranks second in the NFL.
Unfortunately, Cleveland has just five takeaways this season, which is tied for third-fewest.
Moving forward, the Browns need to stay healthy on the defensive side.
The Browns are also in need of a lot of defensive stops by Garrett and Clowney.
If they keep up their success, Cleveland will continue to stop offenses, especially on the ground.
The Offense: Conklin, Bitonio, and Teller
On the other side of the football, Jack Conklin has played five games this season, but he has made a tremendous impact:
Jack Conklin: 82.8 grade this season
🥇 among right tackles (min. 150 snaps)
🥉 among all offensive tacklesHe comes back this week 😤 pic.twitter.com/g7P4OSTKQV
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) October 29, 2021
In his second season with Cleveland, the six-year offensive tackle is on his way to his third All-Pro selection.
On Sunday against Pittsburgh, he will be looking to help Baker Mayfield and Nick Chubb, as they also return to the field.
Joel Bitonio and Wyatt Teller will look to keep up their success as well:
Highest-graded guards this season (min. 150 snaps):
3️⃣ Joel Bitonio- 89.7
5️⃣ Wyatt Teller- 83.4The #Browns are the only team with two in the top-11 💪 pic.twitter.com/TvPY32hg2y
— PFF CLE Browns (@PFF_Browns) October 26, 2021
These offensive linemen are the reason why the Browns have a tremendous rushing offense this season:
- 1,193 rushing yards (second in NFL)
- 13 rushing touchdowns (first)
- 5.3 yards per rushing attempt (first)
- 67 rushing first downs (first)
In 2020, Chubb played 12 games and Hunt played 16, as the Browns finished in the top five in the major rushing statistics.
Not only are the Browns improved in terms of rushing yards in 2021, but they are also improved with regard to overall yards:
- 2020: 367.3, 16th in total yards per game
- 2021: 393.4, ninth in total yards per game
Even with the lowly passing offense thus far in 2021 (27th in passing yards), the Browns are succeeding.
PFF thinks Cleveland is a very strong team.
If the Browns take down Pittsburgh at FirstEnergy Stadium on Sunday, maybe they will take the top spot.
NEXT: 3 Matchups To Watch In Browns Vs. Steelers
