NFL Power Rankings, Week 2: Biggest risers and fallers after Week 1
24. Cleveland Browns
I’ve been saying it all offseason, but I’m not buying what Deshaun Watson is selling an ounce.
The Cleveland Browns have been operating as though Watson is going to make good on his end of the bargain in terms of that massive $230 million investment the franchise made in him back in 2022. Although the Broncos have been getting clowned for the Russell Wilson trade (understandably so), the Browns may have made the worse deal in 2022 trading a king’s ransom for Watson.
Watson had a pair of interceptions and took six sacks against the Dallas Cowboys, barely completing 50 percent of his passes. Even as good as the Cleveland defense is, that’s a lot to overcome.
The Deshaun Watson experiment/experience has reached the point that we saw a lot of people on Twitter/X talking about the financial cost of the Browns getting out of his contract. He’s been that bad. This was only Watson’s 13th game as a Brown and it was one of his worst. This team might need to turn to Jameis Winston at some point if Watson doesn’t turn it around quickly.
23. Arizona Cardinals
I’m definitely not ready to bury the Arizona Cardinals this season, not by any stretch. The Cardinals ended up dropping a tough, close game on the road against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, but they started off looking really solid and I think there are plenty of things this team can build on going forward.
For starters, Kyler Murray looks like he’s going to be more like his pre-injury self this season, which is great news for Arizona fans. The Cardinals’ offense is so dynamic when he’s at full strength, and the good news for them is that he appears to be exactly that.
The Cardinals don’t always want Murray leading the team in rushing, but they want the ball in his hands and they want him out there making plays and playing confident. It was a rough debut for rookie receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who only had one reception for four yards on three targets. This team will get better as the year goes along.