{"id":63180,"date":"2025-10-24T06:00:41","date_gmt":"2025-10-24T10:00:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/?p=63180"},"modified":"2025-10-23T19:24:42","modified_gmt":"2025-10-23T23:24:42","slug":"patriots-browns-week-8-keys-to-the-game-key-matchups","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/patriots\/blog\/2025\/10\/24\/patriots-browns-week-8-keys-to-the-game-key-matchups\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriots-Browns Week 8, Keys To The Game, Key Matchups"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots return home to Gillette Stadium after a very successful three-game road trip, during which they swept their opponents (Buffalo, New Orleans, and Tennessee) and are in first place in the AFC East, a game ahead of Buffalo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They\u2019ve now won four in a row to sit at 5-2 and are the #2 seed in the AFC, although it is still very early for that kind of talk.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Last week, they beat Tennessee 31-13, and after a slow start, buried the Titans behind outstanding performances by Drake Maye, Rhamondre Stevenson, and K\u2019Lavon Chaisson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Their opponent, the Cleveland Browns, stomped the Dolphins 31-6 behind an outstanding defensive effort and a three-touchdown effort by Quinshon Judkins.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">FOX will broadcast this week&#8217;s game and can be seen locally on WFXT-TV Channel 25. Chris Myers will handle play-by-play duties with Mark Schlereth as the color analyst. Kristina Pink will work from the sidelines. The game will also be aired on the Patriots&#8217; flagship radio station, 98.5 The Sports Hub, with Bob Socci and Scott Zolak on the call, produced by Marc Capello.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We at <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PatsFans.com<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> are continuing our \u201cRazor\u2019s Edge\u201d column in 2025 to analyze key matchups and predict the game&#8217;s outcome.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Some Quick Notes:<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Browns have one of the top defenses in the league, but they also have one of the worst offenses statistically. After starting Joe Flacco for the first few games, he was dealt to Cincinnati.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dillon Gabriel has taken over at QB and has yet to turn the ball over. But he hasn\u2019t exactly thrived either.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots offense will have their hands full with All Pro Myles Garrett who leads the Browns with five sacks and 10 QB hits, but the entire defensive line is very stout.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Now, we can examine some key matchups and determine who holds the Razor\u2019s Edge. First up is the Patriots offense:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Patriots RBs vs. Browns Front Seven <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge Cleveland<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; running game found some daylight last week in Nashville, rushing for 175 yards, led by Rhamondre Stevenson with 88 and Drake Maye with 62. But the team still struggles overall to run the ball, averaging just 103.4 yards per game, and ranks 32nd in rush EPA.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleveland\u2019s run defense is fourth in the league, allowing an average of just 82.4 yards per game. Garrett, Maliek Collins, Mason Graham, and Alex Wright all do a great job of stopping the run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This may be a pass to run week, where Josh McDaniels spreads the Browns defense out to open up some running lanes. This could be a week to see more of TreVeyon Henderson. Look for lots of motion this week.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Patriots WRs vs. Browns Secondary <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge New England<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; passing game is going strength-on-strength this week.\u00a0 Cleveland\u2019s pass defense is #3 in the league, allowing just 173.7 yards per game. It stems from the front four getting pressure on the opposing quarterback. However, they have playmakers at all three levels, with CB Denzel Ward and S Grant Delpit.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Browns have been susceptible to rollouts and bootlegs, with teams taking advantage of their aggressiveness. However, last week, Cleveland blitzed safeties\u00a0 off the edge on the bootleg side and forced Tua Tagovailoa into three interceptions.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The \u201cX\u201d factor this week is Garrett, who is outstanding, one of the top edge rushers in the league. It won\u2019t be strictly him against Will Campbell; they will give him some help with Garrett, but he\u2019s the guy. Collins is having a career renaissance in Cleveland; he\u2019ll be going against rookie Jared Wilson.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This week feels like a big Stefon Diggs-type game, with Henderson possibly playing more in the screen game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next up is the Cleveland offense.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Browns RBs vs. NE Front Seven <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b> <i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge New England<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots continue to do a tremendous job of limiting their opponents\u2019 running games, and with Milton Williams and Christian Barmore penetrating and creating havoc, teams haven\u2019t been able to run effectively.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots have allowed just 77.1 yards per game. Although the Brown\u2019s Quinshon Judkins is off to a very good start in his pro career with 420 yards after contact, the Browns have a less productive running game (28th) than New England\u2019s, averaging just 92.4 yards per game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, Cleveland\u2019s offense is 30th in the league; they are not prolific in running or passing the ball. Look for the Patriots&#8217; interior linemen who are playing outstanding in their own right to disrupt the running game and try to force Cleveland to win by having Gabriel throw.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Browns WRs vs. NE Secondary <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Edge New England<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Browns&#8217; best weapons have been their two tight ends, Harold Fannin Jr. and David Njoku. That is an area that the Patriots have struggled to cover. They also have the dangerous Jerry Jeudy, but Gabriel has been one of the NFL&#8217;s worst passers on downfield throws, ranking last among qualified quarterbacks in average air yards per attempt (5.9).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gabriel has completed just 11 of his 31 throws over 10 air yards, the worst completion rate in the league (35.5 percent).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Browns have been trying to protect the rookie by running the ball and throwing short, quick passes to the tight ends. But the Patriots will try to disrupt Gabriel\u2019s passing lanes, take away his quick throws, and force him to look downfield, where he has struggled.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A big matchup will be Harold Landry or K\u2019Lavon Chaisson against tackle Cam Robinson, depending on how they match up. One thing to consider is that the Patriots have as many sacks (18) as the Browns.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Special Teams <\/b><b>\u2014<\/b><b>\u00a0 <\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Edge (Slight) New England<\/span><\/i><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots&#8217; special teams units have been impressive the past few weeks, and I see that continuing. Marcus Jones and Efton Chism have done an impressive job of returning punts and kicks. Andy Borregales continues a solid rookie season, Bryce Barringer has been solid, as have the coverage units. Brendan Schooler is having another outstanding season.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleveland\u2019s STs have been much better this past month, and they are about equal with the Patriots across the board. Grant Delpit was the AFC STs Player of the Week against Miami. The Patriots get the slight edge for playing at home.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Next up, who wins and why\u2026<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">___________<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Prediction:\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots need to protect the ball this week. It&#8217;s as simple as that. If they protect the ball, they\u2019ll win. Cleveland forced four Miami turnovers last week, which led to 21 points in a 31-6 win. Cleveland\u2019s offense is too limited to take over a game yet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Drake Maye and the passing game will have a tougher matchup this week, but I look for Josh McDaniels to scheme some things against Jim Schwartz\u2019s defense. And I expect the Patriots\u2019 defense to end Gabriel\u2019s turnover-free streak. They&#8217;ll look to take away his short passing lanes and force him to throw to the deeper parts of the field, where their cornerbacks are rounding into form.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Patriots are the better team, and Mike Vrabel will have them prepared for this one. New England runs it streak to five in a row<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Patriots 24-10<\/b><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow me on Twitter <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SteveB7SFG\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">@SteveB7SFG<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or email me at <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/patspub.patsfans.com\/stevebpatsfans@gmail.com\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">stevebpatsfans@gmail.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen to our <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.blogtalkradio.com\/patriotsfourthandtwo\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Patriots 4<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">th<\/span><\/i><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and 2<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> podcasts on Streamyard as Derek Havens, Mike D\u2019Abate, and I from <\/span><\/i><a href=\"http:\/\/www.patsfans.com\/\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">PatsFans.com<\/span><\/i><\/a><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> discuss the latest Patriots news and breakdown game analysis<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gabriel has completed just 11 of his 31 throws over 10 air yards, the worst completion rate in the league (35.5 percent).\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":63130,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[23300,11,274,10],"tags":[22492,23269,325,22746,23879,23466,23721,2211,23704,23881,22525,2179,44,23880,22588],"class_list":["post-63180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cleveland-browns","category-patriots-commentary","category-patriots-film-room","category-patriots-news","tag-christian-barmore","tag-christian-gonzalez","tag-cleveland-browns","tag-david-njoku","tag-dillon-gabriel","tag-drake-maye","tag-harold-fannin-jr","tag-harold-landry","tag-khyiris-tonga","tag-maliek-collins","tag-milton-williams","tag-myles-garrett","tag-new-england-patriots","tag-quinshon-judkins","tag-rhamondre-stevenson"],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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