So close, and yet so far.
The Cleveland Browns played like the worst team in the National Football League during the second quarter of their 2014 regular season debut versus AFC North rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers. Cleveland’s offense couldn’t move down the field. Practically nobody on the defense of the Browns could cover wide receivers or make tackles.
It was bad times.
A strange thing happened following halftime of Sunday’s contest. Quarterback Brian Hoyer found his form and the end zone. A rookie running back not named Terrance West scored two touchdowns. The Cleveland defense kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard for almost an entire half. Yes, the Browns ultimately came up three points short, but there are reasons for fans of the franchise to have hope.
Where the 2014 Cleveland Browns are in Week 2 NFL power rankings: ESPN
Rank: 29
The latest ESPN power rankings give praise to two members of the Cleveland offense: “Brian Hoyer was 15-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown in the second half Sunday, and Terrance West rushed for 100 yards”
Those stats are accurate and impressive, but ESPN failed to mentioned rookie running back Isaiah Crowell. Crowell twice found the end zone in the second half, and he averaged 6.4 yards per carry (32 yards on five rushes). Fantasy football owners may want to take a flier on Crowell considering that RB Ben Tate could be sidelined for up to a month (knee sprain).
Where the 2014 Cleveland Browns are in Week 2 NFL power rankings: NY Post
Rank: 23
Bart Hubbuch of the Post was kind to the Browns without offering an explanation for why he placed Cleveland at No. 23 in his latest NFL power rankings. He has the Baltimore Ravens at No. 24 in his list. The Ravens, like the Browns, lost in Week 1.
Baltimore is also dealing with the Ray Rice scandal that could sink the team’s season before it ever had a real chance of beginning.
Pittsburgh comes in at No. 16, a fair assessment of a side that was outplayed on its home turf for nearly a half of football. The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Ravens in Baltimore this past Sunday. Cincinnati is No. 7 in Hubbuch’s NFL power rankings.
Where the 2014 Cleveland Browns are in Week 2 NFL power rankings: Detroit News
Rank: 26
Rod Beard points out that the rookie phenom quarterback commonly referred to as “Johnny Football” will remain at No. 2 on the depth chart of the Browns. “Quarterback Brian Hoyer had a good game,” Beard explained, “which should quiet some of the talk about Johnny Manziel starting.”
Cleveland head coach Mike Pettine has made it no secret that he wants Manziel to first learn the pro game from the sidelines. Hoyer did enough against the Steelers to keep his job for now, completing 19 of 31 attempts for 230 yards and a touchdown. The 28-year old did not turn the ball over once.
Where the 2014 Cleveland Browns are in Week 2 NFL power rankings: CBS Sports
Rank: 32
Dead last? Really? NFL Insider Pat Kirwan doesn’t think that it is all bad for the 2014 Browns, writing the following:
“Cleveland will not be on the bottom much longer. There’s too much fight in this club, and I can see a four- or five-spot improvement the next few weeks.”
Regardless of how poorly the Browns played at Pittsburgh in the second quarter, it is being harsh to even suggest that Cleveland is the worst team in the NFL after Week 1. The St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys are just three teams that deserve to be beneath the Browns in Week 2 NFL power rankings.
Where the 2014 Cleveland Browns are in Week 2 NFL power rankings: Washington Post
Rank: 28
Neil Greenburg reminds football fans that an offense establishing a run game is not just about moving the football on the ground. It also opens up opportunities for the passing attack.
“On the Browns’ 13 play-action plays against the Steelers, Hoyer was 9 for 12 with a touchdown for a 133 passer rating. On the 20 dropbacks that weren’t play-action, his passer rating was 70.7.”
A 70 passer rating won’t cut it for Hoyer, and thus he is going to need consistent production from those who line up in the Cleveland backfield. With Tate out for at least a couple of weeks, that burden now falls onto two running backs who both have one NFL game on their resumes.
