Image courtesy of Kathryn Riley
The Patriots overcame a slow start offensively early on to beat the Cleveland Browns 32-13. New England has now won five in a row and improved to 6-2 on the season.
Here are seven points on the Patriots win.
1. Another slow start for the defense: Another week, another opening drive score given up by the defense. The slow starts are problematic but the Patriots have been able to overcome them and they did once again today. The defense adjusted and dominated the rest of the game. They finished with two interceptions, a sack and held the Browns to 6 points the rest of the game. They only gave 213 yards of total offense.
2. Offense stagnant early: The offense struggled in the first half, scoring only 9 points but the second half was a different story. thanks to some great adjustments, especially in the run game. The Patriots were able to score 21 points in the third quarter and didn’t look back. The offense has been making big plays in key situations in recent weeks and they did it again.
3. Campbell struggles: Will Campbell learned the same lesson many offensive tackles before him have learned. Myles Garrett is from another planet. Campbell struggled, leading to a career high 5 sacks for Garrett on the day. It was a tough day for Campbell and he will learn from it but today was not his day. You hope he moves on and it doesn’t affect him moving forward. After the game, Campbell met with the media and said all the right things.
“He beat me a few times. It’s just part of the game. He gets paid a lot of money. he got me a couple times and I had to keep coming back and keep fighting. Just glad we got the win.”
4. Maye’s Day: Drake Maye had another big day, completing 18 of 24 passes for 282 yards and 3 touchdown passes. He did throw his first interception in games but other than that, he was on point. His 39 yard touchdown pass to Kayshon Boutte was a thing of beauty. It was a perfectly placed fade ball. Maye also carried the ball 7 times for 50 yards and picked three first downs with his legs. He continues to play at an MVP level and is in a zone right now.
5. Turnovers open the flood gates: The Patriots were able to break the game open in the third quarter thanks to interceptions by safety Jaylinn Hawkins and linebacker Robert Spillane. The two turnovers completely changed the complexion of the game and put the Patriots in a position to blow the game open. The defense continues to make timely plays during this five game winning streak and they did once again today.
6. McDaniels was in his bag: The offense struggled in the first half but thanks to some McDaniels halftime magic, they got back on track in the second half. McDaniels did a masterful job of using misdirection to slow down the Browns pass rush and keep them off balance. The Patriots offense is at its best when they are multiple and play to the strength of their skill group. They were able to do that today, especially in the second half and they blew the game open.
7. Running game was productive: The Patriots were facing one of the best run defenses in the NFL today and they more than held their own rushing for 179 yards. They got enough out of the running to balance things up and get Cleveland to commit more bodies to the box. It wasn’t a dominate performance by any means but the running game is starting to come around.