AFC North Power Rankings after Week 6: Bengals win, but so does everyone else
- Bengals still in the basement
- Who takes over the top spot?
By Glenn Adams
2) Cleveland Browns (3-2)
Moving up one spot this week are the Cleveland Browns.
There was an excellent chance that the Bengals would have found themselves out of the bottom of the power ranking for the first time this season if the Elves lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
In arguably the biggest upset of the weekend, Cleveland won at the last second with a missed field goal from rookie kicker Jake Moody.
... do y'all wanna hear how the 49ers losing the game on a Jake Moody missed field goal sounded on 49ers radio? pic.twitter.com/01auLAXeZ2
— Nick Piccone (@_piccone) October 15, 2023
It has been an up-and-down rookie season for the former Michigan Wolverine battery of Moody and punter Brad Robbins. For Robbins, hopefully, there will be more ups than downs for the rest of the season.
As for the Browns, they are officially in third place in the AFC North. However, they have the best defense in the division and possibly the NFL. They rank first in the league in points, total yards, and passing yards allowed this season, according to Pro Football Reference and they are third in rushing yards given up. They also have the division’s second-best point differential.
Where they fall behind the Steelers is their record within the division and their head-to-head matchup loss. Nevertheless, heading into Week 7, the Browns and Steelers have the same record. Furthermore, the Browns are coming off a win against the team many believe is the best in the league.
Cleveland is a slight favorite over the Colts on Sunday. The home underdog Colts will hopefully pull off the upset if all goes well for the Bengals.