12. Cleveland Browns (-3)
The build-up, the hype, the expectations, all of it came crumbling down when Baker Mayfield threw his first interception and never recovered.
I just don’t know which Browns team I am getting from week to week. Are they going to be the offensive powerhouses that they were against the Dallas Cowboys, Washington, and the Cincinnati Bengals?
Are they going to be the team that is opportunistic on defense and attacks your weaknesses like they did against the Colts?
Or are they the team that has gotten stomped by the Steelers and Ravens by a combined score of 76-15 this season?
I don’t know and without Nick Chubb, I worry about this team’s chances as playoff contenders as the road gets tougher.
11. L.A. Rams (-1)
Speaking of teams that are hard to understand, after Sunday night the Rams have scored 20 or fewer points in three of their six games this season. That is a problem for a team that is run by an offensive genius and a 1st overall pick at quarterback.
I’m not saying that they can’t win games by holding other teams to less than 20 points, but we need to shift our perception of the Rams from a team that is going to force other teams into shootouts, to a team that is reliant on the defense to suffocate the opponent.
The good news is that when you have Aaron Donald then you can make that work, but when a team like the 49ers dedicates half of their offensive line to block him and they are still able to put up points, it is always nice to be able to trust your team to be able to outscore them. I don’t get that impression from this roster right now and everything that works for them seems like it has to be schemed perfectly.
This team could use another real playmaker on offense.