Dawgs By Nature
It is Week 14, and the Cleveland Browns only dropped 0.3 spots to fall to an even ranking of 27.0. We’re at the point of the season where I think it’ll be difficult for the Browns to fall much further (unless they lose badly to the Titans this week). Even a lopsided loss to the 49ers on the scoreboard barely made them fall, and it’s because the Browns have these unique blunders that cost them (but they aren’t the defense, nor Shedeur Sanders’ performance). If the Browns still win a few games down the stretch, though, I think they could get into the lower-20s. We’ll see how things go with Sanders vs. Cam Ward this week, though. Maybe special teams will cost Cleveland a few more touchdowns.
Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 14 of the 2025 NFL season.
Shedeur Sanders will remain as the starter, which he should. But they might need to get a quarterback for 2026.
X factor for final stretch: Quarterback Shedeur Sanders
Sanders, a fifth-round pick, will make his third straight start against the Titans, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously reported that the Browns are open to giving Sanders an extended look for the rest of the season. He has shown flashes in his two starts (60% completion rate, two touchdown passes) and will have an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on Cleveland’s decision-makers ahead of the offseason. The team has two first-round picks in the 2026 draft.
This likely wasn’t the follow-up performance Shedeur Sanders and the Browns were hoping for following his successful first start. That said, there were promising developments, and Sanders was far from poor in windy conditions — plus, the rest of the offense did him no favors. In the Browns’ only possessions of the second half, they punted twice, lost a fumble and turned it over on downs twice, continuing their trend of playing mostly terrific defense and still losing. The 49ers did go 11-for-17 on third downs, but their three TD drives spanned 16, 32 and 18 yards. Not sure how the defense can take any blame for that. Kevin Stefanski is now guaranteed to have a losing record for the fourth time in six seasons; he won Coach of the Year the other two. It’s going to be interesting to see how patient this franchise is in the coming offseason.
The Browns got some more good vibes with Shedeur Sanders but the offense is operating at about the same level with previous QBs. They are still rather sloppy against better teams such as the 49ers.
The Browns have had seven...
