Will Bill Belichick orchestrate another Patriots masterpiece vs Browns?

Last Sunday, the New England Patriots bounced back from their two game skid with a 29-0 home victory over the Detroit Lions. With rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe under center in place of the injured Mac Jones, this domination was another masterpiece for Bill Belichick’s portfolio.

In Week 6, the Patriots will take a trip to Cleveland to take on old friend Jacoby Brissett and the Browns.

Bill Belichick, New England Patriots are poised to keep the ball rolling vs Browns

Heading into week five at 1-3, the Patriots already found themselves in somewhat of a must-win situation against a Lions team that isn’t the easy out that they’ve been in years past. Prior to the matchup, Detroit boasted the top scoring offense in the NFL.

It became apparent quickly that the story wasn’t going to be the Lions’ offense, but more so the stifling Patriots defense. They were able to force two turnovers, one a strip-sack that was returned for a touchdown, and bring constant pressure on opposing quarterback Jared Goff.

On the other side of the ball the game plan was to keep Zappe comfortable in his first career NFL start.

New England led with a ground attack, rushing the ball 35 times as opposed to 21 pass attempts. This led to 364 total yards for the Patriots with 161 of them coming from Rhamondre Stevenson’s 25 rushing attempts. With over 85 all-purpose yards in each of his last three games, Stevenson will look to carry this momentum into Cleveland’s weak run defense.

As for Zappe, the rookie looked sharp, and a lot less out of sorts than when he was thrust into action in the week four contest against the Green Bay Packers. Despite throwing an interception that slipped through Nelson Agholor’s hands, Zappe posted an efficient line of 17-21 with 188 yards and a touchdown.

Even while being down to their third-string quarterback, with no clear timeline for a Mac Jones return, the Patriots should look to build on this strong performance and start a win streak in their matchup with Cleveland.

New England Patriots face another defense ranked in the bottom of the league

After last week, the Browns own a bottom ten defense in the league in terms of points allowed per game.

With their offensive scoring being the sixth best in the league, Cleveland proves to be a similar team to Detroit statistically at least. Jacoby Brissett, while he has shown that he can compete, nobody would put him in the elite quarterback conversation, similarly to Jared Goff.

A good scoring offense, a bad scoring defense, and an average quarterback is a recipe that Belichick just showed that he can defeat. New England Patriots fans should expect a similar result this week to what they saw against Detroit.

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If Stevenson can continue his hot streak with his counterpart Damien Harris landing on the injury report this week, New England will be able to move the ball effectively while not asking Zappe to play above what he’s currently capable of. Continuing the ground-and-pound approach from last week will be in the Patriots best interest.

Same goes for the defensive game plan, the Patriots should look to do exactly what they did against Detroit; make Brissett beat them by sending pressure and playing a physical, ball-hawking game.

Edge rusher Matthew Judon is tied for the league lead in sacks with six and he will surely demand attention from the Browns’ pass protection. Rookie cornerback Jack Jones is also having a stellar year, emerging as a star with two interceptions and a fumble recovery over the last two weeks.

While Cleveland totes a productive offense, the Patriots are more than capable of shutting them down and forcing mistakes.

The Browns’ defense will greatly depend on the injury status of star defensive end Myles Garret, who has not logged a full practice this week. Without him, New England Patriots fans can expect a solid day for the offense and a second consecutive win.