Browns season: Hope is kindled despite 1-3 record

Have you had a chance to glance at the AFC North standings lately? After just four games, the division isn’t pretty.

The Pittsburgh Steelers currently have command of the lead with a 3-1-0 record, but the remainder of the clubs aren’t doing so well. And don’t be fooled by the Steelers’ winning record.

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The Cleveland Browns and Baltimore Ravens sit in the cellar with identical 1-3-0 win-loss records. An equally bad team, the Cincinnati Bengals, sits in the center spot at 2-2-0. This means the division is up for grabs.

So, wake up, Cleveland Browns. Get after it and take this division!

The Steelers have built their record on beating two bad teams, which they barely defeated. On opening weekend, they edged the awful New York Jets (0-4-0) 34-32 and then the equally putrid New England Patriots (2-2-0) in Week 3. They did manage to beat the Minnesota Vikings (2-2-0) 24-21 in Ireland this past weekend. The Vikings’ record is also misleading. Both the Patriots’ and Vikings’ wins were against lesser teams.

But they lost to the Seattle Seahawks (3-1-0) 31-17 in a game that really wasn’t that close. The Seahawks are a good club this year with a stout defense. They are tied for the lead in the NFC West with two other teams, making this the league’s toughest division, which features all four clubs without a losing record.

And get this with the division-leading Steelers: they have scored 96 points while giving up 98 points on defense. It’s not like they are wowing anybody so far. They are ranked #16 on offense. Their offensive line isn’t the best, as their scramble percentage is 2.48%, which means their QB is flushed quite a bit. Their sack percentage is also pretty high at 6.61%, which is the number of sacks divided by the number of dropbacks.

Because their offensive line is suspect, the Steelers are having a hard time throwing the ball. They rank #24 in passing yards (798) and #8 in sacks allowed (9). They have the second-worst rushing yards with just 320 yards.

Their defense has given up the second most yards with 1,131 and is ranked #31 and has given up 50 first down conversions, tied for fourth most.

Just because Pittsburgh is 3-1 does not mean they are a good team. They had several good breaks against Minnesota and beat two horrible teams without any offense to speak of. This should continue as the schedule rolls along.

The Bengals are in second place by default. This is a very bad team. They have embarrassed themselves in the last two games, losing 28-3 to the Denver Broncos on a national stage on Monday Night Football, and 48-10 against the Vikings the week before. The win over the Browns in Week 1 was gifted as Cleveland’s kicker Andre Szymt missed a PAT plus a makable field goal towards the end of the game.

Cincy cannot score, and they cannot prevent any team from scoring, as they have just 61 points and have allowed 119. Only five other clubs have allowed as many points scored against them.

Their defense is pathetic. They have the second-most first down conversions made (55) and third-most TD passes (8). They rank #30 in passing yards allowed (1,089) and #5 in most completions made by opposing offenses (100).

The Bengals offense doesn’t seem too interested in scoring points. Yes, their offensive attack changed dramatically when starting QB Joe Burrow became injured and has left for his new home on IR.

Currently, Cincinnati’s offense is ranked #32 with a point differential of minus 58.

Okay, we give up. What is the enigma with the Ravens? Before the season began, they were talked about as being one of the best clubs in the AFC. Several media outlets had them in the AFC Championship Game against either Buffalo or Kansas City. It wasn’t a matter of them getting to the big game; it was who would be their opponent.

And now? A 1-3 record?

Of course, they blew that huge lead in Week 1 to Buffalo, which resulted in a loss and began their bad start and subsequent downward spiral. After taking the Browns to the woodshed with a 41-17 beatdown, Baltimore took on two very good teams in Detroit and Kansas City. They lost both games.

The Ravens are always Top 3 in rushing. Currently, they are ranked #9. That is out of context for this franchise to be rated low so far this year. That is certainly not their normal environment. Both RB Derrick Henry and QB Lamar Jackson are always at the top of the league in rushing, yet Henry is listed at #8 while Jackson sits at #31. Did anyone foresee any of this?

Oddly enough, the Ravens have a better passing game ranked #14. This seems to be their choice when moving the ball more so than running. Of course, part of their success with the run game has been Jackson’s scrambling abilities, which adds to the rushing totals. It was designed as a pass play, then became a huge gain on the ground, which padded the rushing stats.

Baltimore had another fourth-quarter meltdown against the Lions and were defeated badly in the Chiefs loss.

And now it is reported that Jackson will be sidelined for 2-3 weeks with a hamstring issue. Backup QB Cooper Rush is expected to take over.

What hasn’t been expected is how bad this Ravens defense has been. Baltimore’s defense has been one of the worst in the NFL (30th in EPA/Play). Injuries have decimated that unit.

All this means that the AFC North Division is wide open.

The Browns should have beaten the Bengals in Week 1, they defeated the Green Bay Packers in a thrilling comeback, then lost the other two games, losing by a total score of 75-27.

The next two games against Minnesota and Pittsburgh are suddenly crucial games for the Browns. That ends this difficult six-game stretch to begin the season.

After that, there are several winnable games against the Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets. After another Ravens game, Cleveland then plays Las Vegas, San Francisco, Tennessee, and Chicago. Buffalo rolls into town, and then the Browns play Pittsburgh and Cincinnati.

If Cleveland can find a rebound, of these remaining games, only Minnesota, Baltimore, and Buffalo appear to be losses.

The Steelers have not shown that they are a dominant team. Perhaps Cleveland can beat the 49ers, who are struggling.

All of the remaining games are open to becoming a win.

The division is arguably the weakest in the league. If the Browns have any inkling of getting to the postseason, they need to begin that journey now.