The Cleveland Browns have the chance to leave the weekend with a record of 3-1, and it appears they are gathering notice from pundits around the league. Mark Lane of Touchdown Wire is at least impressed as he hopped the Browns up 11 spots after their victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football.
With quarterback Jacoby Brissett exceeding expectations to this point in the season (even if a regression offensively is reasonable) there are a few more winnable games over the next eight games than initially expected. As it stands, the Browns have the top rushing attack in the NFL, and a passing game that falls into the top-10 by every conceivable efficiency metric.
Lane had this to say about the Browns after their 2-1 start to the season:
“Jacoby Brissett may be one of the best backup quarterbacks in the league, and he has steadied the Browns through the first three games. Of course, it helps when Nick Chubb is churning 113 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Amari Cooper has also made Cleveland look like winners with their trade with the Dallas Cowboys as he caught seven passes for 101 yards and a score.”
As the Falcons are next on the schedule, the Browns have the opportunity to rise even further up Lane’s power rankings by next week.