It is Week 3, and after a bad loss, the Cleveland Browns had an average power ranking of 29.9, which is back to where they were to open the season. The Browns had an opportunity to, even with a loss, gain some ground and respect in these rankings. But with the way the game went down, the defense’s solid performance is not even being recognized, and how can it be when there are so many other mistakes that you let a game unravel with allowing 41 points to the Ravens.
Here is a summary of how the Cleveland
Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season.
CBS Sports – No. 28 (down 1 spot)
At 0-2, coming off a bad game for Joe Flacco, you can bet the calls to play Dillon Gabriel will start to get louder. The time to play him is coming — maybe soon.
ESPN – No. 30 (down 1 spot)
Biggest QB takeaway: Joe Flacco can’t mask fundamental issues with the offense
Flacco’s second stint in Cleveland is off to a rough start, as he has turned the ball over four times. However, the Browns’ offense has issues across the board, including a nonexistent running game (tied for 26th in yards per carry), poor pass protection (23rd in pass block win rate) and plenty of drops (tied for the league high with five). It’s part of the reason that coach Kevin Stefanski said he is not considering a QB change at this point.
NFL.com – No. 31 (down 1 spot)
The game was still within reach at 20-10 early in the fourth quarter, but then the Ravens finished off a long, grinding drive with a touchdown. On the ensuing Browns possession, the Ravens stripped Joe Flacco, running the fumble back 63 yards for the score, and that was all she wrote. It doesn’t matter what the score once was when the final is 41-17. And the Browns can’t ask and expect Flacco to save them. He’s a pro’s pro, but the ground game — even with Quinshon Judkins active — offered no help early. Kevin Stefanski’s offense is built around the run, so when it fails, the system usually breaks down. The next two games are against the Packers and Lions, and right now, it’s hard to see a path to victory in either.
Sporting News – No. 31 (down 2 spots)
The Browns have given plenty of reason to make Myles Garrett very angry. The defense can only hold up so much against better teams when the offense needs some youthful injection to score. Next up is the Packers, so have fun with that.
Yahoo Sports – No. 30 (down 1 spot)
Joe Flacco is tied with Bryce Young for the most passing attempts in the NFL after two weeks. He has thrown 90 passes. A lot of that is game script related. But 45 passes a game for Flacco is a bad idea for the Browns. The good news is rookie running back Quinshon Judkins had 61 yards in his debut.
Bleacher Report – No. 28 (up 3 spots)
Is it time for a quarterback change in Cleveland yet again? It sure feels like it. After an 0-2 start, the organization has to ask itself what a 40-year-old Joe Flacco brings to the table if the team continues to lose. The Browns are now 3-18 since the calendar flipped to January in 2024.
Flacco left for a season, of course. But he returned with the same expectations he left, as a playoff team and still capable of playing at the same level despite his age. The path picked by Cleveland wasn’t prudent, and a slow start says a lot about the approach.
Instead, the Browns do have two talented rookies they can insert into the lineup and see what comes of it. If the team falters, it’ll be better positioned to take a quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL draft. Or, possibly, Dillon Gabriel/Shedeur Sanders pans out and finally elevates the quarterback-starved franchise.
USA Today – No. 31 (down 4 spots)
Dillon Gabriel got to mop up Sunday’s loss to Baltimore. Seems only fair that Shedeur Sanders should get a similar opportunity against Green Bay.
Listed below is a summary table of where teams in the AFC North are ranked this week.
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|
|
|
|
|
Bengals
|
Browns
|
Ravens
|
Steelers
|
|
| CBS Sports |
15
|
28
|
5
|
21
|
| ESPN |
12
|
30
|
4
|
21
|
| NFL.com |
16
|
31
|
3
|
20
|
| Sporting News |
11
|
31
|
5
|
16
|
| Yahoo Sports |
18
|
30
|
4
|
20
|
| Bleacher Report |
14
|
28
|
4
|
13
|
| USA Today |
18
|
31
|
4
|
15
|
| Average |
14.9
(down 1.5) |
29.9
(down 1.6) |
4.1
(down 0.2) |
18.0
(down 4.3) |
What do you think of the Browns’ ranking this week?
