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Week 9 Browns NFL Power Rankings: Cleveland falls 2 spots after bad loss
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- Week 9 Browns NFL Power Rankings: Cleveland falls 2 spots after bad loss
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It is Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season, and the Cleveland Browns are coming off their first AFC North loss of the season. Overall, the Browns went down by 1.7 spotsfrom week-to-week to have an overall ranking of 16.0. Considering the magnitude of their loss to the Steelers, that's not all-too-bad of a drop. Plus, Cleveland did split the season series with Pittsburgh, which could play a big factor down the road for divisional tiebreakers.
Here is a summary of how the Cleveland Browns are viewed across mainstream media outlets in NFL Power Rankings heading into Week 9 of the 2026 NFL season.
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CBS Sports – No. 17 (down 3 spots)
The early success went bye-bye in the loss to the Steelers. They were dominated on both sides of the ball, which is not a good look.
ESPN – No. 16 (no change)
Best in-season trade acquisition ever:CB Tyson Campbell in 2025
In October 2025, the Browns traded Greg Newsome II to the Jaguars for Campbell, along with a swap of late-round picks, which gave two underperforming cornerbacks a change of scenery. In a man-based scheme that fits Campbell's skill set, he has formed one of the NFL's better cornerback duos with Denzel Ward. Since Campbell made his debut with Cleveland in Week 6 of the 2025 season, he is tied for the 15th-most pass breakups in the NFL (15).
NFL.com – No. 15 (down 3 spots)
The Browns received the reality check they needed in Pittsburgh on Sunday, getting bullied by the Steelers in all-too-predictable fashion. Deshaun Watson was sacked eight times behind an unpredictable offensive line, Cleveland wasted a monster day from Harold Fannin Jr., and its most important defenders were constantly seen chasing Steelers ball-carriers in vain. At 5-3, the Browns are still in a solid place and should benefit from a serving of humble pie. Pittsburgh smashed the entire dish in their face in Week 8.
Sporting News – No. 16 (down 1 spot)
The Browns are starting to spring more leaks in their run defense, but the bigger problem up front is their offensive line, which gave up eight sacks on Deshaun Watson and helped to produce only 34 rushing yards in Pittsburgh. Watson is on pace to be sacked an NFL-high 70 times, which would challenge the record set by fellow former Texan David Carr.
Yahoo Sports – No. 16 (no change)
Biggest need:A reality check
Like the Raiders, it's fun for a team that has had almost no success to start 5-2. An uncompetitive loss to the Steelers on Sunday should put the Browns in a more realistic mindset. They can't keep living off last-minute wins, and their poor quarterback situation makes their level of success unsustainable. The five wins have already put the Browns in a bad spot to find a quarterback solution in 2027, but that's a conversation for next offseason.
The Browns can still be partial sellers without hurting their playoff hopes for this season. Receiver Jerry Jeudy is tradable and there are plenty of teams that could use him. Offensive tackle Dawand Jones, a backup who could provide depth elsewhere, can also be available. But with a promising young core, the Browns have to be careful to not get ahead of themselves despite a 5-3 record.
Bleacher Report – No. 16 (down 4 spots)
Days after Jared Verse's comments about Pittsburgh, the Browns were comprehensively outplayed by their division rivals.
Cleveland got outplayed, outcoached, and out-physicaled by the Steelers on Sunday while continuing a couple of alarming trends. The Browns fell behind early, again, and they committed more penalties (nine) than any playoff hopeful should.
Considering how uncompetitive the Browns have looked in blowout losses to the Steelers and Jacksonville Jaguars, it's fair to wonder if they actually are a playoff-caliber team. It would be easier to take Cleveland seriously if it had at least one convincing victory on its resume.
USA Today – No. 16 (down 1 spot)
DE Jared Verse got taken down Sunday, but he's still searching for his first sack eight games into his Browns career.
Listed below is a summary table of where teams in the AFC North are ranked this week.
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| * | * | * | * | * |
| * | Bengals |
Browns |
Ravens |
Steelers |
| CBS Sports |
8 |
17 |
20 |
10 |
| ESPN |
10 |
16 |
19 |
13 |
| NFL.com |
8 |
15 |
22 |
12 |
| Sporting News |
12 |
16 |
17 |
8 |
| Yahoo Sports |
5 |
16 |
22 |
13 |
| Bleacher Report |
10 |
16 |
19 |
9 |
| USA Today |
14 |
16 |
24 |
13 |
| Average |
9.6(down 0.6) |
16.0(down 1.7) |
20.6(down 5.8) |
11.1(down 2.5) |
What do you think of the Browns' ranking this week?
