There are sentences that sound fake even when every word is technically true.

Here’s one: The Cleveland Browns can wake up Friday morning alone in first place in the AFC North after a full month of NFL football has been played.

Yes, those Cleveland Browns.

Every team in the division is 2–1. Cleveland hosts Pittsburgh on Thursday night, so a win would move the Browns to 3–1, drop the Steelers to 2–2, and give Cleveland an early head-to-head edge before Baltimore and Cincinnati play on Sunday.

Three weeks ago, this would’ve sounded like a prank.

The Browns went 5–12 last season, fired Kevin Stefanski, traded Myles Garrett after he broke the NFL sack record, and spent the summer bouncing between Shedeur Sanders and a Deshaun Watson comeback that nobody really knew how to feel about. Then they opened the season by getting blown out 34–10 in Jacksonville after falling behind 31–0.

Same Browns. New calendar.

Except the last two weeks haven’t looked anything like the old script.

Cleveland trailed Carolina 18–13 with 4:25 left Sunday. Watson and the offense had opened the second half with three straight three-and-outs and the Panthers looked ready to steal the home opener.

Then Watson drove the Browns 65 yards in eight plays, scrambled for 21 yards on third-and-3, and found Harold Fannin Jr. for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:48 left. Mason Graham sacked Carolina on the next possession, and Ronnie Hickman ended the Panthers’ last chance with an interception.

That made it Cleveland’s second straight comeback win. A week earlier, the Browns scored two touchdowns on their final four possessions to beat Tampa Bay, then watched the defense protect a four-point lead on the final drive after a long weather delay.

That part matters. Cleveland went 3–6 in one-score games last season. They're 2–0 in them now.

This Defense Is Carrying The Workload

The defense is the easiest reason to think this could keep going. Graham has four sacks through three games, with at least one in every game. He’s only the second Browns player to start a season with a sack in three straight games, and the first NFL defensive tackle to do it since Akiem Hicks in 2020.

The offense is where everybody probably needs to pump the brakes a little.

Cleveland ranks 30th in yards per game and 24th in scoring. Quinshon Judkins is averaging three yards per carry. Watson finished Sunday 16-of-30 for 144 yards. The Browns are hanging around because they’ve made a few huge plays late, not because they’ve been in control from start to finish.

Pittsburgh’s going to test that formula right away. The Steelers just put up 411 yards in a 30–27 win over Cincinnati. Aaron Rodgers threw three touchdowns, Jaylen Warren ran for 127 yards, and their defense forced the game-ending turnover.

So no, beating Pittsburgh wouldn’t suddenly make Cleveland the favorite to win the division. It’s Week 4. Nobody needs to start planning a parade just yet.

But it would force everybody to take this start seriously.

For a team that looked buried before September even got going, that’s already pretty ridiculous.

The Browns host the Steelers on Thursday Night Football at 8:15 p.m. ET on Prime Video.

All stats courtesy of Fatnasy Points Data.

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