Dawgs By Nature
It is Week 17, and the Cleveland Browns moved up 0.1 spots to 29.0 overall on average in this week’s power rankings — so, essentially, there was no movement. Most of the rankings shared the same sentiment: the Browns put up an admirable effort against the Bills, and it also sucked that they lost Quinshon Judkins to injury.
Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 17 of the 2025 NFL season.
The injury to rookie runner Quinshon Judkins really puts a damper on their loss to the Bills. Shedeur Sanders doesn’t look like the long-term guy, either.
Rookie of the year: Linebacker Carson Schwesinger
The favorite to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (-1400 at DraftKings), Schwesinger has been at the center of the action all season for one of the league’s top defenses. The No. 33 pick leads all rookies in total tackles (147) and tackles for loss (11), and he is tied for second among rookies with two interceptions. Schwesinger, a former walk-on at UCLA, has also worn the green dot all season to relay the defensive playcalls.
Shedeur Sanders was better against the Bills than he was against the Bears one week prior, ripping some confident throws and conjuring up some magic in a game the Browns had legitimate chances to win. But on the flip side, he also turned the ball over twice and was guilty of a grounding penalty deep in Cleveland territory in a one-score game late. He was good but not quite good enough. The Browns are in position to land a top-five draft pick in 2026, and they have the ammunition (also owning the Jaguars’ first-rounder) to make a big push for a quarterback. Sanders hasn’t yet done enough to assure the team will pass on one. How he finishes the season and whether Myles Garrett breaks the sack record — he’s one full sack away — are the best reasons to tune into Cleveland in its final two games, which is more watchability than most teams in this range can boast.
The Browns fought hard against the Bills with Shedeur Sanders showing the kind of fight and play that gets him a full-season audition as the starter in 2026 despite the defense falling apart around Myles Garrett.
Cleveland had a shot to beat Buffalo on Sunday. They had three possessions in the fourth quarter, trailing by six points, and all they could get was a field goal, turnover on downs and a punt. There have been some horrible performances from the Browns this season, but also enough good efforts to keep them from being the Raiders. The hard news...
