The Patriots will look to even their record at 3-3 when they travel to Cleveland to face the Browns later this week, a prospect improved by the imminent return of Mac Jones, who is trending toward playing after missing the previous two games with a high-ankle sprain suffered late in New England’s Week 3 loss to Baltimore. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Jones has made steady progress, returning to practice as a limited participant last week. That gives the Pro Bowler a “decent chance” to play Sunday at Cleveland, going against a Browns team he dominated, throwing for three touchdowns in a 45-7 win last season.
Despite a promising debut against the Packers in Week 4, followed by an even better performance in last week’s rout of Detroit (a game that saw him collect his first win as an NFL starter), it would appear rookie Bailey Zappe is headed back to the bench with Fowler adamantly dismissing the idea of a quarterback controversy, contending that, when healthy, the Pats are still very much Jones’ team.
The Patriots have featured a balanced offense in the early going with a roughly 50/50 split between passing and run plays (49.8 percent pass, 50.2 percent run). Damien Harris, who finished second among NFL rushers with 15 touchdowns last season, is slated to miss “multiple games” after injuring his hamstring against the Lions. As a result, Rhamondre Stevenson, coming off career-highs in both carries (25) and rushing yards (161) in Week 5, can expect an elevated workload going forward, leading the backfield in Harris’ stead.
New England entered the week as three-point road underdogs (courtesy of Caesars), though Vegas handicappers may not have accounted for Jones’ return with that initial spread, which is already moving in the Patriots’ direction. With Deshaun Watson still suspended for violating the league’s code of conduct, the Patriots will be opposed by Jacoby Brissett, who began his career in New England as a third-round pick in 2016.
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