It should come as no surprise that the Cleveland Browns are generating attention for their 3-2 start. After all, this is a club that posted a 9-25 record in the 10 Septembers prior to this season, a mark that was tied for worst in the league.

Since the Browns have made the playoffs only once since their return to the NFL in 1999, some may be writing off this good early start as a flash in the pan that will be long forgotten come January. However, a closer look at the metrics and game tapes indicates the Browns have a good chance of posting a winning record and contending for an AFC wild-card spot.

Let's go through the reasons.

Hoyer is playing at an elite level

Those chances revolve around a powerful offense piloted by a comeback player of the year candidate in quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Hoyer started to win over Cleveland fans when he guided the Browns to a 3-0 mark last season before being lost for the year with an injury. His performance this season has gone more than a step further and has even been good enough to go toe-to-toe with the best passers in the league.

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Hoyer ranks seventh in Total QBR (75.4), fourth in yards per attempt (8.21) and fourth in interception percentage (0.7 percent).

Those numbers stand out, but they are even more impressive when noting how they were produced.