It is Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season, and the Cleveland Browns are officially back in the category of respectability. Some rankings had them rise just a few spots, but a couple of sites had them make a significant jump, with one of them even putting the Browns ahead of the Steelers. Overall, the Browns went up by 5.4 spots from week-to-week to have an overall ranking of 26.0.
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 2026 NFL season.
CBS Sports – No. 28 (up 3 spots)
Deshaun Watson actually looked good in beating the Bucs. The defense also took a step forward.
ESPN – No. 29 (up 3 spots)
One thing we know about the QB1: Deshaun Watson found a risk-averse winning formula.
In Week 2, Watson earned his first win since September 2024 with the lowest average depth of target (3.7) of his career. At times, it has seemed like the Browns’ passing game has been played in a phone booth: Watson’s 6.7 air yards per attempt would tie a career low. However, the play style has limited turnover potential and allowed the Browns’ young playmakers to get the ball in their hands. Cleveland ranks third in yards after the catch (260) through two games.
NFL.com – No. 23 (up 9 spots)
In the second half against the Buccaneers, the Browns enjoyed adequate quarterback play, experienced the thrill of a long, game-tying touchdown pass and capped off a methodical scoring drive with a go-ahead TD on a well-designed and properly executed play. The defense showed up, too, after getting torched in Week 1. I know it must have seemed rather foreign to Browns fans, but on Sunday in Tampa, Cleveland was the better team. We’ll see if this lasts for more than a week.
Sporting News – No. 28 (up 4 spots)
Todd Monken is getting a lot of heat for starting Deshaun Watson, but the bottom line is that Watson gives the Browns a much better chance to win than Shedeur Sanders. He has done well to lift some young pieces early and inspire the whole team.
Yahoo Sports – No. 24 (up 6 spots)
If that seemed like Deshaun Watson’s greatest moment with the Browns, it was, statistically speaking. It was his top EPA per dropback in any game for Cleveland.
Watson had a good second half with the Browns’ running game doing nothing. Removing Watson’s 22 yards on seven rushes, the Browns rushed for 22 yards on 16 carries. Watson and the Browns’ defense were the drivers of this win. Watson clearly did enough to keep his job for another week, and the reaction to him from Browns fans at the home opener will be interesting. At least it’s coming off a win and a good performance.
Bleacher Report – No. 28 (up 4 spots)
Deshaun Watson stayed the executioner’s hand for one more week. If anything, growing confidence may have germinated in Cleveland’s QB1 with Sunday’s performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
During a contest expected and billed as Baker Mayfield’s revenge game, Watson outplayed the former Browns quarterback and helped lead his team to its first victory this season. In fact, Watson completed 80 percent of his passes and threw a pair of touchdowns.
The next step is stacking competent outings. Otherwise, the Browns fan base will not allow any leeway after the previous four seasons of disappointment. Shedeur Sanders is waiting in the wings to take over as soon as Cleveland has had enough of Watson.
USA Today – No. 22 (up 9 spots)
An impressive Week 2 win amid disadvantageous circumstances in Tampa. But all due respect to Coach Monken, betting the “Browns are gonna Browns” when they roll out QB Deshaun Watson to start the team’s home opener this weekend.
Listed below is a summary table of where teams in the AFC North are ranked this week.
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 |
 |
 |
|
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Bengals
|
Browns
|
Ravens
|
Steelers
|
|
| CBS Sports | 4 |
28 |
11 |
22 |
| ESPN | 9 |
29 |
7 |
25 |
| NFL.com | 3 |
23 |
5 |
26 |
| Sporting News | 6 |
28 |
13 |
19 |
| Yahoo Sports | 5 |
24 |
7 |
23 |
| Bleacher Report | 8 |
28 |
9 |
19 |
| USA Today | 6 |
22 |
15 |
27 |
| Average |
5.9
(up 4.5) |
26.0
(up 5.4) |
9.6
(down 5.5) |
23.0
(down 4.0) |
What do you think of the Browns’ ranking this week?
