Tag: NFL power poll

Lions keep creeping up in NFL power polls

The Detroit Lions moved up in NFL power polls despite dropping to 0-3

Through three weeks of NFL action, two things are clear. The winless Detroit Lions are not a very good football team in 2021, but there are a few other teams that are demonstrably worse. That is reflected in the weekly power poll roundup, where the Lions managed to creep upward despite losing in historically heartbreaking fashion to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

At Touchdown Wire, the Lions moved up one spot from No. 29 to 28th. The commentary aptly sums up the slight uptick,

The Lions lost to a NFL record from Justin Tucker and kudos to him for hitting it. But Detroit got hosed with the play-clock decision after the Lions kept it close with a good team all game. That 36-yards they gave up on fourth-down would have avoided all this… and there’s no excuse for that.

The move upward was even more pronounced at USA TODAY. Analyst Nate Davis pushed the Lions up three spots to 26th. Of note here is that the Lions leapt over the division rival Chicago Bears, this week’s foe. Chicago dropped to 27th after getting blasted by Cleveland in Week 3.

NFL.com also pushed the Lions up a few spot, moving Detroit to 27th despite, or perhaps because of, the close loss to Baltimore. The Lions were 31st last week.

Detroit didn’t move up in every poll. The Lions fell a spot to 29th at the Sporting News. They also stuck at No. 30 in ESPN’s weekly update.

Detroit Lions Week 2 power rankings roundup

The Lions moved up a couple of spots in most polls after the 41-33 loss to the San Francisco 49ers

If you’re looking for the Detroit Lions and where they sit in the NFL pantheon, it’s best to start reading from the bottom.  At 0-1 and giving up the most points of any team in Week 1, it makes sense to find the Lions near the bottom of every NFL power poll and rating metric.

However, the inspired comeback in the 41-33 loss to the San Francisco 49ers impressed enough that the Lions actually moved up in quite a few polls. Take USA TODAY, where analyst Nate Davis moved the Lions from the preseason No. 31 spot up to 29.

Detroit is above the Jaguars, Falcons and Giants in USA TODAY’s poll. The Lions are also 29th in Football Outsiders and their overall DVOA metric, which is more analytically based. Green Bay, Tennessee and Atlanta are behind the Lions in that one after all suffering lopsided losses in Week 1.

The Lions also ticked up in ESPN’s power poll. Detroit is up one spot to 30th after opening in 31st. The Jets and Jaguars are below them now. The Lions vaulted up to No. 29 from 31 at the Sporting News, too. At NFL.com, the Lions remain at No. 31.

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Browns locked into top 8 in latest NFL power polls

Cleveland ranges from 4 to 8 in the post-draft power polls

The flood of post-draft power polls are hitting the presses, and Browns fans don’t have to scroll down very far before finding Cleveland. The Browns are a top-8 fixture in the latest wave of NFL power rankings.

The No. 7 spot is where the Browns sit in the latest update from Touchdown Wire. The opening commentary speaks volumes,

Two straight drafts leaving analysts struggling for the right words to explain how much they liked them? Free agents actually wanting to become Browns? It is certainly a new day in Cleveland.

Sports Illustrated pegs the Browns at No. 8, while CBS launched Kevin Stefanski’s team all the way up to No. 5 in the post-draft update. NBC matches Touchdown Wire with a No. 7 ranking.

The loftiest rank comes from Bleacher Report, which places the Browns at No. 4 overall. And it makes sense,

The Cleveland Browns are a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the AFC.

That statement would have earned you some serious side-eye or a breathalyzer test not long ago. But in 2021, it’s true.

Don’t expect much movement between now and the onset of training camps in the summer.

Browns soar up to No. 6 in latest NFL power ranking

Browns soar up to No. 6 in latest NFL power rankings from Touchdown Wire

Beating a good team did wonders for the perception of the Cleveland Browns. Sunday’s 41-35 win in Tennessee over the AFC South-leading Titans vaulted the Browns up to No. 6 in the latest weekly power poll from Touchdown Wire.

The Browns were No. 10 entering the week. In knocking the Titans down from No. 7 to that 10th spot, the 9-3 Browns surged to the brink of the top five. Only Pittsburgh and Kansas City (each 11-1) have more wins in the AFC than the Browns through Week 13.

Cleveland also surged ahead of the Indianapolis Colts, a team they beat in Week 5. They hopped in front of the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks as well.

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Tracking the Browns in the latest NFL power rankings

Tracking the Browns in the latest NFL power rankings

Cleveland is 7-3 for the first time in over 25 years, and the impressive record is reflected in the Browns’ rankings in various NFL power polls. Most polls appear to reward the Browns for the impressive improvement but still cast a leery eye at a team that hasn’t finished with a winning record since 2007.

The Browns vaulted up to No. 11 in the Touchdown Wire weekly rankings. In winning over the Eagles, the Browns also passed the division rival Baltimore Ravens (No. 13) in the rankings. That’s an honest assessment for a Browns team that has won two in a row and a Ravens team that has dropped three of four and is battling major health issues.

At USA TODAY, the Browns remain back at 15 overall. They also started the weekend much lower and didn’t earn any style points for winning in a heavy downpour.

The Browns are 11th at CBS, but still lagging at No. 14 over at ESPN.

 

 

Browns holding steady in the latest NFL power polls

The Browns are almost universally ranked 14th-16th once again

Cleveland ended Week 9 with the same record it entered the week: 5-3. As a result, there was very little movement for the Browns in the NFL power polls.

The Browns dropped a spot from 14th to No. 15 in the latest poll at Touchdown Wire. Miami’s win over Arizona lifted the Dolphins up to No. 13 from 15th, leaping the Browns in the rankings. They also nudged past the Browns in the AFC playoff picture through Week 9, too. The Cardinals, also 5-3, dropped to 14th.

Cleveland also sits 15th in the latest poll at NBC Sports. The Browns hold steady at No. 16 over at ESPN. At USA TODAY, the Browns are 14th but fell there from No. 12 despite not playing.

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Power polls drop the Browns down but not out after Week 6 loss

The Browns fell in polls but not far, in part because the Steelers are No. 1

Last week marked the first time the Cleveland Browns had ever cracked the top 10 of the Touchdown Wire power poll. Alas, it wasn’t built to last. Losing 38-7 at Pittsburgh and playing lousy football all around proved the Browns flew a little too close to the sun.

In this week’s edition, the Browns do slide back out of the top 10. However, it’s not a precipitous fall. The Browns show up at No. 11, down just two spots.

Some of that is the context of the loss: playing without two starting safeties and the best offensive guard in football in 2020, the Browns got smoked on the road by the team that now resides at the top of the power poll, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Cleveland gets a chance to bounce back up by playing No. 25 Cincinnati in Week 7.

Browns crack the top 10 in NFL power polls

Winning 4 in a row has more folks believing more in the Browns

Being 4-1 for the first time in 26 years has also elevated the Cleveland Browns to newfound heights in NFL power polls.

For the first time since it started, the Touchdown Wire NFL power poll has included the Browns inside the top 10. There are the Browns at No. 9, up from last week’s No. 11 spot.

Analyst Doug Farrar astutely notes the struggle to get to this point and how impressive it was in beating the Colts (now No. 10) to rise up.

That’s not the only place where the Browns have infiltrated the top 10. At NFL.com, Cleveland also sits at No. 9 after the win over the Colts. That is up from 13th a week ago. The Browns are 10th in ESPN’s latest poll, too.

Beating the Steelers, a consensus top-5 team in every poll, would keep the Browns ensconced near the top for quite some time.

4 things I learned from the Browns-Colts game film review

Week 3 win lifts the Browns up in NFL power poll

The Browns play the team directly above them, Dallas, in Week 4

Say goodbye to the bottom third, Browns fans! Sunday’s win over the Washington Football Team elevated the Browns well out of the 20s in the latest NFL power poll from our friends at Touchdown Wire.

Cleveland now sits at No. 18 after Week 3. That’s up from 22nd a week ago and comes thanks in part to an impressive showing by the defense, which demonstrated the ability to get the ball back. The Browns picked off Washington QB Dwayne Haskins three times, the first three INTs of the year for a banged-up Browns secondary.

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It’s still a long climb upwards, but the Browns have proven they can now comfortably win the games they are expected to win. The upward mobility gets a test in Week 4 with a visit to Dallas, which sits one spot above the Browns at No. 17 with its 1-2 record.

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Lions slide to 23rd in NFL Wire power poll after heartbreaking Week 1 loss

The irony of being ranked No. 23 after losing to Chicago is biting

How do pollsters handle a team that dominated at home for three quarters before collapsing in the final stanza in epic fashion? How about unironically placing the Detroit Lions at the spot representing the most clutch player in the history of a different sport?

That’s exactly the maudlin sense of humor Lions fans need but likely won’t appreciate in the post-Week 1 power poll from Touchdown Wire.

The Lions sit at No. 23 in the updated power poll, with two Monday Night Football games still to play. That’s right: the Lions get the Michael Jordan number after losing to Chicago. Oof.

When Matt Prater hit a 44-yard field goal late in the third quarter, the Lions had a 23-6 lead over the Bears. Then, Detroit’s defense allowed three fourth-quarter passing touchdowns to Mitchell Trubisky, who looked about as accurate as a busted sprinkler in the first half. The real killer in Matthew Stafford’s attempt to come back from a 27-23 deficit was an easy dropped pass by rookie running back D’Andre Swift with 11 seconds left in the game. Heartbreak, thy name is Detroit.

Because of the two remaining games, the poll only extends out to 28 teams. Expect at least one of the Monday night losers to slide below the Lions in the poll when it’s refreshed on Tuesday.

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