It is Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season, and there is no drama about the Cleveland Browns’ position in national power rankings: they are pretty much dead last. A few sites still have them at No. 30 or No. 31, but overall, the average dropped 0.8 spots to 31.4. Some sites have the likes of the Dolphins, Titans, or Falcons in consideration of being worse than Cleveland.
Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 2 of the 2026
NFL season.
CBS Sports – No. 31 (no change)
How much longer can they go with Deshaun Watson? He wasn’t the only reason they lost to the Jaguars, but he wasn’t good either.
ESPN – No. 32 (down 1 spot)
Non-QB newcomer debut: WR Denzel Boston
The second-round pick’s production — two receptions for 59 yards and a TD — came in garbage time, but Boston’s 46-yard touchdown catch on a deep post was the kind of play he made throughout training camp. He also had the most snaps (47) and routes run (26) of any Browns receiver in Week 1, a sign of the big role that the team has planned for him going forward.
NFL.com – No. 32 (down 2 spots)
Last year, Cleveland’s defense managed to keep the Browns competitive in a bunch of games. Week 1 informed us that a different story will play out in 2026. The offense was horrendous with Deshaun Watson under center. The Browns hurt themselves by committing 11 penalties, and their defense resembled little more than a sieve against Trevor Lawrence’s Jaguars. It’s looking like it’ll be a long season on the shore of Lake Erie.
Sporting News – No. 32 (no change)
The Browns’ quarterback situation is bad, but the state of the running game and defense is even worse to begin the Todd Monken era. They were no match for the Jaguars and may struggle to beat anyone for a while.
Yahoo Sports – No. 30 (no change)
The Browns’ defense is supposed to keep them in games, even with Jared Verse replacing Myles Garrett. That wasn’t the case in the opener as the Browns looked like they really missed Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator. Trevor Lawrence had four touchdowns and Jacksonville had 31 points with 12:08 left in the third quarter. If Cleveland’s defense is bad, there’s no hope at a respectable season.
Bleacher Report – No. 32 (down 2 spots)
It is going to be another long season at the Factory of Sadness. Deshaun Watson’s stats weren’t bad in a blowout loss to the Jaguars, but his lone touchdown throw came in garbage time and for most of the game the Browns had no vertical passing attack. That let the NFL’s best run defense from a year ago tee off on running back Quinshon Judkins, who averaged less than three yards per carry.
The even bigger disappointment was a Browns defense that ranked inside the top-five last year. Sure, Myles Garrett is gone. But the Jaguars did whatever they wanted offensively in Week 1, whether it was on the ground or through the air. It was an ugly performance all the way around. And the Browns are the NFL’s worst team. Again.
USA Today – No. 31 (down 1 spot)
Shedeur SZN (Week 3?) is surely almost here, Browns fans − particularly if Baker Mayfield finally exacts revenge on the franchise that dumped him in favor of Deshaun Watson four years ago.
Listed below is a summary table of where teams in the AFC North are ranked this week.
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Bengals
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Browns
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Ravens
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Steelers
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| CBS Sports | 8 | 31 | 6 | 20 |
| ESPN | 15 | 32 | 3 | 21 |
| NFL.com | 4 | 32 | 3 | 23 |
| Sporting News | 11 | 32 | 3 | 13 |
| Yahoo Sports | 12 | 30 | 3 | 20 |
| Bleacher Report | 14 | 32 | 4 | 16 |
| USA Today | 9 | 31 | 7 | 20 |
| Average |
10.4
(down 0.1) |
31.4
(down 0.8) |
4.1
(up 5.2) |
19.0
(up 1.0) |
What do you think of the Browns’ ranking this week?
