5 Cleveland Browns whose stock managed to rise in ugly Cardinals loss

The Cleveland Browns are going to need a second half that mirrored the 2020 season if they’re going to make good on those Super Bowl contention predictions.

Six games into 2021, this version of the Cleveland Browns finds itself at 3-3. Third place in the AFC North. The injuries are piling up and a game against a tough Broncos defense looms on Thursday night–just three days away.

If you’re like me, you’re thankful to be at .500 at this point. The Browns of the past 20 years were always 1-5 or 0-6 by this point. However, last year changed the narrative. The Browns took a big step forward.

Injuries certainly aren’t helping, but the Browns wins are against a Texans team that started a Davis Mills in the second half, while the Bears trotted out Justin Fields before he was ready to play.

They beat a tough Minnesota team with great defense, but let’s be honest. Nobody’s picking the Vikings to do much of anything this season.

In defat, the Browns have lost to Super Bowl contending teams. In two of those, they’ve could’ve won. A 37-17 shellacking at the hands of the Cardinals was shockingly bad. The fan base has zero confidence in the defense and I don’t know how they correct things, as the same mistakes continue to be made.

While these five Browns saw their stocks go in the tank, at least these five players saw their stocks rise in defeat.