AFC Game Of The Week
Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots
Browns: All you heard was negativity about them. I can’t even call other people out because I was one of those many people that critiqued them heavily. They were in the news last week for obvious reasons. Would they trade Odell Beckham Jr or would they release him? Let’s be real here, it was never a good fit for the two parties. Eventually, the team would end up releasing Odell. Now, how would they show up in week nine against the Cincinnati Bengals? It ended up being the best game of the season for them. I agree with the masses when people say they’re a much better team without Odell than they were with him. What a way to bounce back after some tough losses in weeks past. The Browns are a good team when they are establishing the running game. That’s the one thing I can say about Kevin Stefanski because when he became the head coach, he bought an identity with him. Baker Mayfield threw the football only 21 times which I think is a good number for him. Without Odell on the field, Baker completes 68 percent of his passes. This was by far their most complete win of the year. The running game was clicking which in turn opened up the field in the passing game down the field. The defense was all over the place shutting down the Bengals’ offense. When the Browns play like this, they’re a tough out. They have another road test this Sunday in Foxboro.
Patriots: Don’t overlook them! For the first time since week three of the 2020 season, they are above .500! Things looked to be a struggle at the beginning of the year because the consistency wasn’t there. Some even went as far as to say they looked better when Cam Newton was playing for them and I professionally disagree with them. Mac Jones is everything the Patriots could’ve hoped for and then some. They’re using him EXACTLY how they did Tom Brady when he first became the starting quarterback. He’s not taking games over with his arm because they’ve become a running team. I will say that they have more confidence in him to throw the ball and complete a pass more than they did Cam and that’s no knock on Newton. All they need from Mac is for him to control the football game. Manage it, hand it off, complete the passes as necessary and the defense will handle the rest. Speaking of the defense, everybody knows that’s Bill Belichick’s specialty. These last two games showed me why they are one of the five best defensive units in the league. Against the Chargers, they actually took a page out of the Ravens playbook. They crowded the line of scrimmage and make it look like you’re showing blitz, then you drop back and it confused Justin Herbert each time. Against the Panthers, they continued their terror of Sam Darnold and intercepted him three times. They return home on Sunday.
Browns X-Factor: Donovan Peoples-Jones– The former Michigan man! He’s that possession receiver for this Cleveland offense. When OBJ still played with the Browns and he got hurt last year, Baker looked his way a lot more and it paid off. Donovan is sneaky on the field because he can get behind coverages and down the field. I remember a play one time last year when Cleveland was playing the Tennessee Titans. Baker used the play action and bam! He took that shot down the field and found DPJ.
Patriots X-Factor: Matthew Judon– I’ve followed this guy closely for years while he played with the Baltimore Ravens. He’s flourishing for New England and I love to see it! This is the Patriots’ best defensive player. Do you know how they always say you sign guys for certain games? This is why he’s getting paid the way he is. His release off the snap and how he gets to the passer. Against the run, he gets in there and can shut that down. This Patriots defense feeds off his contagious energy.
Final Thoughts: It’s Belichick’s current team against his former team. This is another big game in the AFC, especially with the playoff pictures now being presented to us. Both teams are more similar than you think. They each like to play that ball-control style of offense. If New England struggles to run the ball, the Browns will control the clock, wear down the Patriots defense, and put pressure on Mac Jones to win the football game. You saw how Cleveland made Joe Burrow look last week. Mac throwing the ball into the teeth of a talented secondary could be trouble for New England. I see this being a tight game throughout. I get an old-school feel with this matchup because of how they each run the football. Expect a tight game throughout.
Prediction: Browns 22, Patriots 17
