Browns Power Rankings: Where Cleveland Sits After The Bye Week

The Browns entered their bye week with lots of unanswered questions — particularly about the injury to QB Deshaun Watson’s throwing shoulder — and the weekend off hasn’t appeared to bring many answers.

The uncertainty has led to the Browns being penciled in at No. 19 on Sports Illustrated’s weekly power rankings. That puts them 11th among AFC teams, and it could be tough for them to make up ground on the list with the 49ers, the no-doubt No. 1 team on the list, coming to Cleveland this week.

After Watson was sidelined in the Week 4 loss against the Ravens, the Browns opened the week of practice Monday with Watson working inside while the team practiced outside. Head coach Kevin Stefanski called him “day to day” after practice, which did little to quell the uncertainty of whether Watson could miss a second straight game.

The Browns obviously need Watson back to have any real shot of competing with the 49ers, who rank third in the league in both offensive yards per game (402.6) and defensive yards allowed (266.8). Even if Watson is back, the Browns will likely need their best effort of the season to beat the 49ers, who boast Pro Bowlers at nearly every position and are one of the two last unbeaten teams in the league.

Cleveland could manage to keep things close with its defense, which still sits atop the NFL with a league-best mark of 196.8 yards allowed per game. The 49ers, however, just ripped through the Cowboys’ defense, considered a top-5 unit in the league, for a 42-10 win on a primetime stage last Sunday night.

If the Browns somehow muster a close game, then perhaps they’ll climb a few spots in next week’s power rankings — even if the game ends in a loss.

But until then, all the attention will be on whether Watson is healthy enough to suit up.