More than a few teams are generally moving up in the weekly power rankings despite Week 2 losses. The Cleveland Browns are among those teams following their close loss to the rival Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday. Rookies Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson came out and put up great performances, with the former breaking a franchise rookie passing record.
It was a welcome change from their Week 1 matchup in which they kept things close against the Philadelphia Eagles, but only thanks to multiple Philly mistakes. Joel Thorman of SB Nation moves the Browns up a spot, but it's going to be baby steps, given that they're No. 30 in his rankings:
30. Cleveland Browns (LW: 31, 0-2): Brandon Weeden doesn't look all that great. But Trent Richardson does. This guy could make the Browns relevant.
ESPN isn't quite as kind, as they dropped the Browns one spot to put them in the basement at No. 32. As usual, their reasoning is non-existent, as they talk about Weeden breaking a franchise rookie record. NFL.com's rankings also have the Browns dropping one spot, citing the lacking play from the secondary. They have them at No. 31. Pete Prisco over at CBS Sports kept the Browns in the basement in his rankings.
Brian Billick over at FOX Sports was with SB Nation in moving the Browns up. He bumped them from No. 32 to No. 31, so there's that:
The rookie combination of Brandon Weeden and Trent Richardson gave some hope on Sunday, but the Browns are still 0-2 and there are no moral victories in the NFL.
Cleveland does have some tough matchups on the horizon. They've got the Ravens, Giants and the Bengals again coming up, but they have a solid chance to get in the win column for the first time this season on Sunday, when they'll take on the Buffalo Bills.
For more on the Cleveland Browns, go to Dawgs By Nature. You can also get all of your professional football news over at SB Nation's NFL hub.