The New England Patriots arrived in Cleveland thinking they’d walk all over the Browns. Bill Belichick was thinking he’d be able to outsmart his former assistant, but Browns coach Eric Mangini had other plans as the Browns trounced the Patriots, 34-14. He sent the Patriots a clear message: “Eat some humble pie.” There’s nothing good to say about the Patriots’ performance yesterday. They were beaten badly in every facet of the game. The Browns were up 10-0 before Tom Brady took a snap. Cleveland had possession of the ball for nearly 40 minutes of the game.
Offense
The Patriots offense looked predictable. Tom Brady struggled to put the ball where the receivers and tight ends wanted it. He did end up 19 of 36 for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. When Brady did make great throws, they were dropped. The pair of rookie tight ends, Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski, led the Patriots in receptions and yards with 9 and 95 with two touchdowns. Wes Welker may as well have taken the week off, as he made very little impact aside from the extra point he converted. The running game was nonexistent (68 yards on 20 carries) since they were playing from behind the entire game.
Grade: D
Defense
The Patriots defense was awful. They allowed Peyton Hillis to steamroll them as he rumbled for 184 yards on 29 carries and a couple of touchdowns. Colt McCoy scampered for 20 yards on 3 carries and found the end zone. On the passing end, Colt looked impressive as the Patriots defensive line couldn’t have been bothered. He finished 14 of 19 for 174 yards as he allowed Peyton to do all of the dirty work. Jerod Mayo had yet another game with double-digit tackles as he remains on top of the league leaders in tackles. The lone highlight was stripping Peyton Hillis for a nice fumble recovery.
Grade: D
Special Teams
The special teams units were below average for this contest. After the Browns marched down the field for a 3-0 lead, Rob Gronkowski called for a fair catch on the kick return and allowed the ball to fall to the ground, and Cleveland picked it up. The Browns took advantage and scored a touchdown on that drive to make it 10-0. Brandon Tate had one opportunity and returned it for 28 yards. Stephen Gostkowski and Wes Welker made their extra points.
Grade: C-
