It is Week 16, and the Cleveland Browns fell 0.5 spots to 29.1 overall on average in this week’s power rankings. Among rankings, it’s pretty unanimous now that the Raiders are the worst team in football. After that, it’s a mixture of opinions as to whether the next worse team is the Browns, Jets, Giants, or Titans. What a lovely spot to be in again.

Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season.

Advertisement

CBS Sports – No. 31 (no change)

The good news: Myles Garrett should break the sack record. The bad news: This team stinks.

ESPN – No. 29 (down 1 spot)

Extension candidate: Linebacker Devin Bush

After a severe knee injury in 2020 upended the beginning of his career, Bush has had a resurgence in Cleveland over the past two seasons. The 2019 first-round pick has started 24 games with the Browns, and he’s on pace for his first 100-tackle season since he was a rookie in Pittsburgh. Bush will be a free agent after the season, but he has helped provide stability in the middle of Cleveland’s defense while Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah has been injured.

NFL.com – No. 28 (up 1 spot)

Two things I’ll be tracking in the Browns’ final three games: whether Myles Garrett can break the sack record and whether they can win another game. If we take owner Jimmy Haslam at his word from back in July, once again going “3-14 won’t cut it.” The Browns sit at 3-11, with the Bills and Steelers coming to Cleveland in the next two weeks before the regular-season finale at Cincinnati. The entire franchise feels like it’s again at a flashpoint, with Shedeur Sanders taking a step back on Sunday against the Bears, throwing three interceptions (even if one wasn’t his fault). Kevin Stefanski might be a two-time Coach of the Year, but the wind is blowing pretty stiffly in his (and his team’s) face right now.

Sporting News – No. 29 (no change)

The Browns crashed back to earth with Shedeur Sanders in the chill of Chicago. Their offensive line and shaky running game aren’t helping and they need to add a lot more weaponry last season. Without Myles Garrett, they wouldn’t be relevant.

Yahoo Sports – No. 27 (down 1 spot)

The Browns were beyond bad in a 31-3 loss to the Bears on Sunday. According to Aaron Schatz of FTN Fantasy, the Browns posted the 11th worst DVOA score in any game since 1978. Shedeur Sanders was a big part of the problem. He had a poor game Sunday. That doesn’t mean we should make sweeping judgments on Sanders’ career. He’s a fifth-round rookie on a bad team. He’ll have good days, like Week 14, and some bad days. It’s OK to let it all play out slowly, with realistic expectations.

Bleacher Report – No. 29 (no change)

The Cleveland Browns defense is on a rapid decline. Over the last three weeks, they’ve allowed 88 points, at least 26 in each of those games. After his most productive pro outing, Shedeur Sanders struggled mightily in Chicago, throwing for 177 yards and three interceptions with a 51 percent completion rate. With a 3-11 record, Cleveland is in full evaluation mode. Is Sanders good enough for the club to pass on a quarterback twice in the first round of the 2026 draft? As of now, no, but there are three weeks left in the season. In the meantime, keep an eye on Myles Garrett’s sack total. He needs one more to break the single-season record.

USA Today – No. 31 (down 3 spots)

This week, let’s give Shedeur the wristband with three TD pass plays on it, not three picks.

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

html { font-family:Calibri, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:11pt; background-color:white } table { border-collapse:collapse; page-break-after:always; text-align: center; width: 100% } .b { text-align:center } .e { text-align:center } .f { text-align:right } .inlineStr { text-align:left } .n { text-align:right } .s { text-align:center } td.style0 { vertical-align:middle; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; color:#000000; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:white; text-align: center; } td.style1 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:#371B03 } td.style2 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; font-weight:bold; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:#371B03 } td.style3 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; font-weight:bold; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:#E26B0A } td.style4 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; font-weight:bold; color:#000000; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:white } td.style5 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; color:#000000; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:white } td.style6 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; color:#000000; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:white } td.style7 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; font-weight:bold; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:#E26B0A } td.style8 { vertical-align:middle; text-align:center; border-bottom:none #000000; border-top:none #000000; border-left:none #000000; border-right:none #000000; font-weight:bold; color:#FFFFFF; font-family:’Calibri’; font-size:11pt; background-color:#E26B0A } table.sheet0 tr { height:18pt } td {line-height:110%; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; valign: middle;};

 

 

Bengals

Browns

Ravens

Steelers

CBS Sports

23

31

17

15

ESPN

23

29

15

14

NFL.com

23

28

15

13

Sporting News

25

29

16

14

Yahoo Sports

24

27

15

14

Bleacher Report

25

29

15

14

USA Today

27

31

15

14

Average

24.3
(down 2.6)

29.1
(down 0.5)

15.4
(up 3.5)

14.0
(up 1.0)

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