A peculiar name sits atop the AFC North; the Cleveland Browns.
The Cleveland Browns, arguably the least successful franchise in the NFL since 2000, are ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens. Believe it.
The Browns are 2-2 in the AFC North, falling to the Steelers in week one and Ravens in week three. Combined, they lost those games by five points. It is no lie that the Browns are now a formidable opponent and much more competitive than they have been in recent memory.
So where has this success come from?
A large part of their success comes from head coach Mike Pettine, who served as defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets, as well as an assistant position with the Ravens. His knowledge and experience in the league brings a new element to the Browns that they haven’t had in a long time.
The rest of their success is coming from a roster comprised of a plethora of journeyman players who, together, have been making it happen in Cleveland.
Brian Hoyer, Ben Tate and Miles Austin are a few difference makers that have made their way to Cleveland from other teams in the league, and the combination of their talents have been putting higher digits in the win column than the loss column.
Right now, they sit at 6-3, which is an impressive record for the Browns franchise considering they’ve averaged five wins a season since 2000. They have blown by the bottom-of-the-barrel teams they’ve faced thus far, and the remainder of their schedule is composed of much of the same.
The Browns will face the Falcons, Bills and Panthers before the end of the season, games they should win. Assuming they lose the rest, they will finish 9-7, a record that is worthy of a wildcard spot at the least.
So what will they do from there?
Well, the reality is probably not much. As exciting as their success is, I’m not sure they can beat any other division leaders, including the Patriots, Broncos and Colts. They likely couldn’t beat any wildcard candidates in those divisions either, including the Dolphins and Chiefs.
But, at the same time, you can’t sell this team short.
Nobody saw the 24-3 hammering they put on the division favorite Bengals two weeks ago, or the 31-10 pounding they placed on the Steelers in week six.
The best part about the Browns is that they surprise you. You can’t just show up to beat them anymore. You have to play good football, because, as they’ve proven thus far, they likely are playing better football.
They’ve built a level of consistency week in and week out that we’re not used to seeing from them. They also have a winning energy from every man on the roster that seems unfathomable knowing their recent prestige, or lack thereof, for almost 20 years.
So, even though they likely aren’t heading to the AFC Championship, don’t sleep on the Browns. The teams that have merely shown up, have been surprised. I expect much of the same for the rest of the season.