How the Cleveland Browns got blown out by the New England Patriots

After a newfound hope was riding high in Cleveland when the Browns beat the Dolphins 31-6, the Browns were set to match up against one of the hottest teams in the NFL. Cleveland visited New England to try to achieve something that the team hasn’t accomplished since 1992: beat the Patriots on the road. 

Cleveland held the Patriots to three points on their first drive after a 54-yard drive. The next drive for Cleveland was one of their best of the season, including three plays of 18+ yards, one going to Malachi Corley on a reverse handoff, going for 31 yards. The other two going to Harold Fannin Jr., who scored the 18-yard touchdown to give the Browns a 7-3 lead. 

After that touchdown drive, the Browns' offense went completely cold. Over the next seven offensive possessions, the Browns managed just 58 yards and one first down. Per drive, that is just 8.2 yards; per play, that is just 2.2 yards. 

Dillon Gabriel was at the forefront of that subpar charge for the offense, throwing his first and second interceptions of the season on some bad reads. 

Last week, the complimentary football finally came out against Miami, when the offense was able to capitalize on Miami's turnovers and defensive stops. This week, it was the complete opposite, as even the defense had some third-down stops and an interception; there was no fight from the offense. 

Gabriel finished the day 21/35 for 156 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. The second touchdown for Gabriel came in garbage time when the Patriots were up 30-7. Gabriel also caused a safety when he intentionally grounded a pass in his own endzone with four minutes to go. 

The running game never got going either, as apart from Corley’s 31-yard play, the Browns managed just 37 yards on 15 carries for 2.5 yards per carry. Rookie standout Quinshon Judkins carried the ball only 9 times for 19 yards as he injured his shoulder in the third quarter and did not return to the game. 

Ultimately, you saw what happens when a good defense like the Patriots shuts down the run game for Cleveland, and Cleveland is unable to pass the ball effectively. The defense for Cleveland wore down and received no help from the offense. 

It will be interesting to see what happens at the quarterback position with Gabriel’s performance today and Cleveland going into a bye week. It might be time for Shedeur Sanders to get his shot moving forward.