The Cleveland Browns travel to New England to take a crack at the undefeated Patriots in a must-win situation.
Second-year quarterback Baker Mayfield will get to play future Hall of Famer Tom Brady for the first time in his career.
The New England Patriots come into Week 8 with a perfect 7-0 record and are currently sitting in first place in the AFC. A somewhat easy schedule will soon come to an end as they will play four teams over .500 in the next six weeks. The Browns are extremely inconsistent, and therefore can either give the Patriots a close game or a blowout.
On the other hand, the Cleveland Browns come off of their bye week after going 2-4 in their prior games. They remain in second place in the AFC North despite two consecutive losses. However, they will most likely drop to third place after this week due to the fact that they are playing the best team in the league while their division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers (2-4), face off against the worst team in the league, the Miami Dolphins. The Browns will need to play a perfect game on both sides of the ball if they want to pull off the ultimate upset and squash the Patriots’ hopes of an undefeated season.
Josh Gordon was placed on injured reserve this past Wednesday and will likely miss the remainder of the regular season. The Patriots will have to rely more on Julian Edelman and Philip Dorsett in his absence. Additionally, they have traded a second-round draft pick to the Falcons for wide receiver Mohammed Sanu. Sanu, like Edelman, was a quarterback in college and can play the slot position very effectively. He may not get many snaps this week but going forward should be a key part of the Patriots’ passing game.
Some key injuries on the Browns’ side are Myles Garrett, who practiced in a limited fashion due to a knee injury, and safety Damarious Randall, who did not practice due to a hamstring injury. Garrett leads the team in sacks with nine on the season, so if he isn’t able to play, it would be a huge loss for the Browns’ defense. Meanwhile, Randall is one of their more physical safeties as he has gotten two sacks through four games. Both players will be needed if the Browns want to slow down the deadly Patriot offense. If Brady isn’t pressured, he will sit back and carve up the secondary for touchdown after touchdown.
The last time the Browns and Patriots played was back in 2016, in Week 5. The Patriots blew out the Browns 33-13 and would go on to finish 14-2, almost completely opposite of the Browns, who would end up with a 1-15 record. Brady torched the Browns’ defense with 406 yards and three touchdowns and both Chris Hogan and Rob Gronkowski had over 100 receiving yards. The Browns somehow managed to play three different quarterbacks in this one but neither of them could get anything going. The Browns lead the all-time series 13-11, but the Patriots have won eight out of the last 10 matchups between the two.
Game Info
Date: Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019
Start Time: 4:25 p.m. EST
Location: Foxborough, Mass.
Stadium: Gillette Stadium
TV info: CBS
Betting Odds
Moneyline: CLE: (+500) | NE: (-650)
Spread: CLE: +13 (-120) | NE: -13 (+100)
Total: 45.5 – Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)
Prediction
The Patriots are the best team in football and the statistics prove it. They are ranked first in most points scored and fewest points allowed. Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield and his Browns have been turnover machines, which will match up greatly with the Patriots’ league-leading 22 takeaways on the season. Cleveland’s offense will get shut down by the elite Patriots defense and Odell Beckham, Jr. will have his hands full with one of the league’s best cornerbacks, Stephon Gilmore. The Patriots should cover the spread and stay undefeated.
Browns 13, Patriots 35
