CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – Coming off their most complete performance of the season, the Browns travel to Foxborough, Massachusetts looking for a second straight win and some momentum towards a playoff push.
With both teams 5-4, the winner will have a leg up in the AFC playoff picture. If the playoffs were to start now, New England would be in as the No. 7 seed while the Browns, who are ninth in the conference, would be heading home.
Cleveland bounced back from losing three of their last four and a stretch that saw them score less than 17 points in three straight games with a 41-16 blowout on the road against the Bengals, but they haven’t won at New England since Bill Belichick coached the Browns to a 19-17 victory in 1992.
The Patriots have uncharacteristically struggled at home this season winning just one of five games, but they are a perfect 4-0 on the road.
What to watch for – Baker Mayfield is coming off one of his best, if not best, showing of the season that saw him complete 14 of 21 passes for 218 yards and a pair of touchdowns including a 60-yard strike to Donovan Peoples-Jones. Peoples-Jones, a 2020 sixth-round pick out of Michigan is being asked to step in to fill Odell Beckham Jr.’s former role within the offense. Can Peoples-Jones become the explosive deep threat in the pass game that Beckham was not?
With Nick Chubb and two other backs sidelined due to COVID-19, D’Ernest Johnson gets another chance to shine as the primary back. Johnson ran for 146 yards and a score in Week 7 as the lead back in a 17-14 win over the Broncos. He has carried it 12 times for 38 yards and a touchdown in the two games since.
This week Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski and Mayfield both said they didn’t feel that Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was playing like a rookie. Jones, selected 15th overall pick out of Alabama has completed 68 percent of his passes and he leads rookies with 204 completions and 2,135 yards this season. Jones has also thrown 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, been sacked 17 times and has four fumbles, losing two of them.
Getting pressure on Jones could change the outcome for the Browns and they have just the guy to do it. All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett is two sacks shy of tying Reggie Camp’s franchise record for sacks in a season as he leads the NFL with a dozen of them in 2021. The defense as a whole has combined to drop opposing QBs 27 times.
The Browns will need to know where Patriots outside linebacker Matt Juden is at all times. The former Raven and two-time Pro Bowler has nine sacks and 16 QB hits this season. Cleveland has allowed 25 sacks to date this season.
Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson is a ball hawk and Mayfield will have to be careful with ball placement when throwing his direction. Jackson had two picks in the Patriots’ win at Carolina last week and he leads New England with five interceptions this season. His 22 interceptions since his rookie season in 2018 are the most in the NFL over that time span.
Last week – Browns beat the Bengals 41-16, Patriots beat the Panthers 24-6
Last Time – October 27, 2019: Patriots 27, Browns 13
Series – Browns lead 13-12
Rankings – Points: Browns 13 (24.9), Patriots 10 (25.6)
Yards: Browns 11 (380.1), Patriots 19 (345.6)
Rushing: Browns 2 (160.2), Patriots 19 (106.8)
Passing: Browns 25 (219.9), Patriots 15 (238.8)
Points allowed: Browns T-10 (21.8), Patriots 4 (18.9)
Yards allowed: Browns 3 (309.7), Patriots 9 (340.3)
Rushing yards allowed: Browns 3 (84.8), Patriots 14 (108.9)
Passing yards allowed: Browns 9 (224.9), Patriots 11 (231.4)
Turnover ratio: Browns T-17 (0), Patriots T-12 (+2)
Projected starters for Browns – Offense: WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, LT Jedrick Wills Jr., LG Joel Bitonio, C JC Tretter, RG Wyatt Teller, RT Blake Hance, TE Austin Hooper, WR Jarvis Landry, QB Baker Mayfield, RB D’Ernest Johnson, FB Andy Janovich
Defense: DE Myles Garrett, DT Malik Jackson, DT Malik McDowell, DE Jadeveon Clowney, WILL Mack Wilson, MIKE Anthony Walker, SAM Sione Takitaki, CB Greg Newsome II, CB Denzel Ward, SS Ronnie Harrison Jr., FS John Johnson III
Injury report – OUT: DE Takkarist McKinley (groin); QUESTIONABLE: LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, CB Greedy Williams (shoulder); EXPECTED TO PLAY: WR Donovan Peoples Jones (personal), C J.C. Tretter (knee), DE Myles Garrett (foot), DT Malik Jackson (knee), WR Jarvis Landry (knee), TE Harrison Bryant (thigh), DE Jadeveon Clowney (ankle, knee), QB Baker Mayfield (left shoulder, foot)
Uniforms – White jerseys, orange pants
Broadcast – Radio: 92.3 The Fan, 98.5 WNCX and the University Hospitals Cleveland Browns radio network. TV: WOIO-TV 19 (CBS)
Kickoff – 1:05 p.m. Gillette Stadium – Foxborough, Massachusetts
Prediction – Browns 23, Patriots 20
Our record – 6-3
