DawgTalkers.net Forums The Archives 2023 NFL Season Looking Back: Browns 13 Steelers 10 Power Rankings

https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...exans-both-shining-brightly/71576253007/

Browns getting some love from USA today

4. Browns (13): You wonder what Cleveland could be if the team was ever mostly healthy, QB Deshaun Watson's ankle issue the latest concerning malady. But let's celebrate these Dawgs for what they are – a tough club on both sides of the ball, and one that can win in a place like Baltimore even when the league's No. 1 defense has an off day.



5. Ravens (1): We reluctantly anointed them as the NFL's best team a week ago and got burned for it after losing sight of Baltimore's (probably) fatal flaw – a long-standing and uncanny inability to close out games in the fourth quarter, something they've failed to do in all three of their losses, including Sunday to the Browns. Unrectified, this will likely be what costs the Ravens a shot at Super Bowl 58 and maybe another MVP award for QB Lamar Jackson.

10. Bengals (6): Tough way to lose your four-game winning streak … especially when you wonder if a healthy Tee Higgins catches the likely game-winning TD pass that Tyler Boyd dropped in the end zone. But Cincinnati better rebound fast for this Thursday night's trip to Baltimore – a contest which Higgins and DE Trey Hendrickson might have to sit out.

12. Steelers (11): In case you're counting, and you probably should be, that's nine consecutive wins in one-score games dating to last season. Let's see if they can sustain the mojo going into what could be a pair of season-defining roadies at Cleveland and Cincinnati.

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/pa...gs-poll-2023-plus-biggest-remaining-game

5. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)

Week 10 ranking: 3

Biggest remaining game: Week 11 vs. Cincinnati

Since Baltimore's fourth-quarter collapse against Cleveland, the Ravens' grip on the AFC North has become extremely tenuous. That's why Thursday night has become a pivotal game for a Ravens team pursuing its first AFC North title in four years. A win over Cincinnati allows Baltimore to keep hold of first place in the division and pushes its lead over the two-time division champion Bengals to 2.5 games. A loss knocks the Ravens out of first place in the AFC North for the first time all season and gives Lamar Jackson his first losing streak since 2021. -- Jamison Hensley


8. Cleveland Browns (6-3)

Week 10 ranking: 10

Biggest remaining game: Week 11 vs. Pittsburgh

After the stunning, come-from-behind win in Baltimore, the Browns now have a real chance to win their first division title since 1989. But first, Cleveland needs to take out another AFC North rival: the Steelers, who, like the Browns, are also 6-3. The Browns already lost in Pittsburgh in Week 2. But if they can split with the Steelers with a victory this weekend, they'll be no worse than a half-game back in the AFC North race, and, potentially, even in the driver's seat heading into the second half of the season. -- Jake Trotter



10. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)

Week 10 ranking: 7

Biggest remaining game: Week 11 at Baltimore

Week 11 will provide a lot of clarity in a tight AFC North. Cincinnati's margin for error is slim heading into a prime-time matchup against the Ravens. According to ESPN Analytics, the Bengals have a 33.8% chance to make the playoffs. Just 1.5 games separate the teams of the AFC North. The Bengals have three losses against division opponents. Since the division was created in 2002, the 2011 Bengals are the only AFC North team to have four losses in divisional play and still make the playoffs, per ESPN Stats & Information. -- Ben Baby


12. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)

Week 10 ranking: 13

Biggest remaining game: Week 11 vs. Cleveland

Sitting at second place in the AFC North with two wins against the Ravens and the Browns, the Steelers can further cement their improbable place near the top of a tight division by sweeping Cleveland in a rematch of the first meeting, where a fourth-quarter T.J. Watt scoop and score decided the game. The Week 11 game also kicks off a gantlet in the second half of the season where the Steelers will face four AFC North opponents in their final eight games, including back-to-back road games at Cleveland and at Cincinnati. -- Brooke Pryor

https://theathletic.com/5060174/2023/11/14/nfl-power-rankings-week-11-coaches-browns-texans/

NFL Power Rankings Week 11: Browns, Texans on the rise, plus head coach status check


Greg Newsome II and the Browns pulled off an upset in Baltimore on Sunday. (Scott Taetsch / Getty Images)
5. Cleveland Browns (6-3)
(Last week: 10)

Sunday: Beat Baltimore Ravens 33-31

Coach status: Safe

What are we supposed to do with Kevin Stefanski? Sunday’s win over the Ravens, which put Cleveland in a tie with Pittsburgh for second place in the AFC North, may have moved him from shaky to safe. It was the Browns’ fourth win in the last five games in a season that has included season-ending injuries to running back Nick Chubb and offensive tackle Jack Conklin and whatever is going on with Deshaun Watson’s shoulder. Cleveland’s win total went down in each of Stefanski’s first three seasons, but he’s close to stopping that trend after Sunday’s win.

Up next: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

6. Baltimore Ravens (7-3)
(Last week: 1)

Sunday: Lost to Cleveland Browns 33-31

Coach status: Solid

John Harbaugh is on his way to a sixth winning season in the last seven years, and he may very well be on the way to the Super Bowl even after losing to the Browns on Sunday. After making home run hires at defensive coordinator (Mike McDonald) and offensive coordinator (Todd Monken) in the last two seasons, Harbaugh is now 154-98 in his 16th season with the Ravens.

Up next: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, Thursday, 8:15 p.m.

go-deeper
GO DEEPER

NFL Week 10 takeaways: C.J. Stroud enters the MVP race; day of mayhem in the AFC North


8. Cincinnati Bengals (5-4)
(Last week: 5)

Sunday: Lost to Houston Texans 30-27

Coach status: Safe

Zac Taylor has the lowest wins-to-respect ratio in the NFL. Without question, much of the Bengals’ success in the last three seasons (27-15 with a Super Bowl run) should be credited to Joe Burrow, but the extent to which Taylor has been erased from the equation is pretty remarkable. The Bengals remained in last place in the AFC North thanks to Sunday’s loss, but Taylor remains safe in Cincinnati.

Up next: at Baltimore Ravens, Thursday, 8:15 p.m. ET

14. Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
(Last week: 13)

Sunday: Beat Green Bay Packers 23-19

Coach status: Solid

Mike Tomlin’s status is unchanging. He’s planted in Pittsburgh as long as he wants to be, and it makes sense considering he seems to be on the way extending his streak of never-had-a-losing-season to 17 years. Steelers fans, though, can be forgiven for wondering if Tomlin shouldn’t be judged on a different scale. Such as: What has he won lately? The answer to that is no playoff games in six years. This year’s Steelers are minus-26 in point differential, the lowest in the league for any team with a winning record.

Up next: at Cleveland Browns, Sunday, 1 p.m. ET

if I'd rank them, I'd put:

1. Philadelphia
2. Kansas City
3. San Francisco
4. Dallas
5. Detroit
6. Miami
7. Cleveland
8. Baltimore
9. Pittsburgh
10. Cincinnati

I think 5-7 is pretty accurate we have split the Ravens and and beat SanFran. We came close with Seattle and the Steelers game was just an emotional mess when we lost Chubb.

I hope we have a statement win on Sunday. That is provided we have Jones & Watson back this week against the Steelers... they haven't played good football.

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-power-rankings-week-11-2023-nfl-season

Rank
3
Baltimore Ravens
7-3
The 2-0 Ravens moved up to No. 7 in the Week 3 Power Rankings, then lost at home to a Colts team led by its backup QB. The 3-1 Ravens sat at No. 8 following a dominant Week 4 victory in Cleveland, then blew a 10-point lead at Pittsburgh the next week. And here we are again, with Baltimore losing to the Browns on Sunday -- blowing a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead -- after climbing all the way to No. 2 in the Week 10 rankings. I briefly considered putting the Ravens at No. 1 last week. Not now, of course. They have all the ingredients -- coaching, a balanced roster and Lamar Jackson -- to be a title contender. I'm not backing off my midseason prediction that they'll make the Super Bowl. But games such as Sunday's don't help in the trust department. Teams that can't tackle always scare me more. Throw in the injuries that Marlon Humphrey and Ronnie Stanley suffered, and it was a very humbling day.


Rank
9
Cleveland Browns
6-3
The Browns can absolutely win the North. They are 6-3, half a game back of Baltimore now, and don't have an outrageous schedule left. But their chances have as much to do with Deshaun Watson as anything else. Sunday was Watson's finest hour as a Brown: He rallied his team back from a two-touchdown, fourth-quarter deficit, overcoming his own rough start (6-for-20 passing with a pick-six in the first half). In the second half, Watson completed all 14 of his passes for 134 yards and a touchdown. That Watson did it with a hurt ankle and without his two starting tackles is meaningful. If anyone had any questions about his toughness or resilience, those have been answered for now. This team has just found ways to win this season, sometimes without great QB play -- but now Watson is helping, too.


Rank
12
Cincinnati Bengals
5-4
Even taking into account all the recent positive vibes around this team, Thursday's upcoming game at Baltimore suddenly shapes up as a near must-win contest if the Bengals harbor any hopes of claiming a third straight AFC North title. The Ravens' loss to Cleveland on Sunday created an opportunity to gain ground, but Cincinnati couldn't take care of business against the impressive Texans. The Bengals are now 5-4 overall and 0-2 in the division -- the deck they shuffled is already stacked against them. Lamar Jackson has been a thorn in Cincinnati's side for years now, and the Bengals already lost to the Ravens once this season. The defense can't afford to have another day like it did Sunday against Houston -- arguably the unit's worst performance in a few years -- in Week 11, or the whole thing could fall apart again.


Rank
13
Pittsburgh Steelers
6-3
Another defender lost to injury, more passing-game disappointment -- and another victory. It's stupendous, really. The Steelers have mastered the rope-a-dope art of winning with minimal style points and shocking efficiency. Here's a more positive spin: The Steelers know when to make big plays. They've only outscored opponents in one quarter this season, but it's the key one: the fourth. And while they yield plenty of yards on defense -- Green Bay had eight plays of 20-plus yards Sunday -- the Steelers are strong in departments that mean more: sacks, takeaways and points allowed. In almost every single victory, the defense had to shut the door late. It's hard to question a team that consistently shows it can win close games, but how far can this approach really take Pittsburgh?