Here’s a abstract of how the Cleveland Browns are considered throughout mainstream media retailers in NFL Energy Rankings heading into Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season.

CBS Sports activities – No. 14 (down 2 spots)

They needed to play with out Deshaun Watson in opposition to the Ravens, and rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson came upon what regular-season soccer is all about. The protection wasn’t pretty much as good, both. The bye comes at an excellent time after that loss.

ESPN – No. 11 (down 2 spots)

Defensive effectivity: 87.0 (1st)
Greatest concern on protection: Forcing turnovers

Regardless of being No. 1 within the NFL in defensive effectivity, the Browns have continued to wrestle to power turnovers. They’re tied for twenty fourth with simply three pressured turnovers, together with just one interception. Final season, Cleveland completed twentieth with 20 pressured turnovers. The protection is clearly a lot improved this yr and enjoying in addition to any unit within the league. Nonetheless, the dearth of turnovers stays. It’s early, and the Browns are creating loads of strain on the quarterback (eleventh in PRWR, 48.7%). Possibly the turnovers will come. To date, they haven’t.

NFL.com – No. 11 (down 2 spots)

It’s arduous to place an excessive amount of inventory right into a staff dropping with a backup QB getting his first actual NFL motion, however that doesn’t negate the truth that Cleveland was flattened by Baltimore at dwelling, as even the Browns’ vaunted protection couldn’t cease the runaway practice. The Ravens led 14-3 4 minutes earlier than halftime, and the sport basically was over. Might Deshaun Watson have finished something to alter the end result? That’s a troublesome query. He performed nicely in Week 3, however earlier than that? Meh. The humorous factor is that the Browns clearly want Watson to win, however his play can be usually ripe for deserved criticism. That cloaks all the operation whereas Cleveland tries to regroup on bye and kit up for internet hosting the 49ers in Week 6.

Sporting Information – No. 12 (down 4 spots)

Deshaun Watson not enjoying gave them little likelihood to beat the Ravens, particularly with out Nick Chubb. Their protection now has Myles Garrett hurting, too. The bye is early, but it surely comes at a much-needed time to regroup early.

Yahoo Sports activities – No. 10 (down 2 spots)

When the Browns traded Joshua Dobbs in late August, it made sense. Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson regarded good in preseason. Cleveland received a fifth-round draft choose for Dobbs and a seventh-round choose. However since then, Dobbs has regarded fairly good for Arizona and when DTR was pressed right into a begin Sunday, he struggled and the Browns misplaced a giant divisional sport to the Ravens. Possibly the Browns wouldn’t have gained with Dobbs at quarterback, however they could have remorse sending him away for a late-round choose.

Bleacher Report – No. 11 (down 2 spots)

The Cleveland Browns may really be an excellent staff—from all indications, they’re considerably higher than final yr’s iteration no less than. However the accidents are piling up, and Cleveland snapped beneath the burden of them Sunday in opposition to the Baltimore Ravens. Dropping working again Nick Chubb was one factor. However Sunday in opposition to Baltimore, the Browns had been additionally pressured to show to fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson beneath middle resulting from Deshaun Watson’s shoulder harm. And with Thompson-Robinson on the market, Cleveland’s offense imploded.

Whereas addressing the media, head coach Kevin Stefanski stated that Watson made each effort to offer it a go. “He needed to go badly, however he simply didn’t really feel that he might go,” Stefanski stated. “He pushed himself. He tried. He did every little thing in his energy to prepare, however simply didn’t really feel comfy earlier this morning and didn’t really feel like we might put him on the market.”

NFL groups don’t typically take care of early byes, however for Cleveland having Week 5 off comes on the supreme time. The Browns managed simply 166 yards of offense Sunday and averaged a pathetic 2.6 yards per play. Frankly, dropping Chubb in all probability wrecked Cleveland’s possibilities of being an element within the playoff race. However with out Chubb and Watson, the Browns would wrestle to win a single sport.

“The Browns’ No. 1-ranked protection lastly confronted a official Ravens offense and didn’t appear to be the identical dominant power because it had by the primary three weeks,” Sobleski stated. “Cleveland’s protection remains to be good, after all. However its earlier performances might have been skewed a bit by enjoying in opposition to a clearly hampered Joe Burrow within the rain after which two dangerous offenses within the Pittsburgh Steelers and Tennessee Titans. Granted, Dorian Thompson-Robinson’s first begin and incapability to maneuver the Browns offense performed a component within the protection being on the sphere an excessive amount of. Nonetheless, the flexibility to beat that degree of adversity is what turns an excellent protection into a really nice one.”

USA At present – No. 13 (down 5 spots)

Week 5 byes are hardly ever desirous, however the timing is fairly good for a Cleveland staff that should get DE Myles Garrett and QB Deshaun Watson wholesome.

Listed under is a abstract desk of the place groups within the AFC North are ranked this week.

	Bengals	Browns	Ravens	Steelers
CBS Sports activities	23	14	6	18
ESPN	25	11	7	19
NFL.com	20	11	8	23
Sporting Information	24	12	8	18
Yahoo Sports activities	21	10	8	22
Bleacher Report	23	11	7	24
USA At present	26	13	8	12
Common	23.1 (down 9.0)	11.7 (down 2.7)	7.4 (up 1.0)	19.4 (down 7.5)

What do you consider the Browns’ rating this week?