Coordinator\u00a0Jim Schwartz<\/strong> has fielded one of the league’s stingiest defenses, as Cleveland is allowing the fewest yards per game and the third-fewest expected points added and passing yards.<\/span><\/p>\n “Well, they’re fast, they’re disruptive,” Vrabel explained on Wednesday. “They put pressure on the quarterback, and they do it through their players and their identity… They want to force you into mistakes if you give up loose plays, or guys get on the edge of somebody. You\u2019ve got an elite edge rusher on the outside, and if you can’t step up it’s going to be hard to protect. And then the corners are going to be sticky, the linebackers all can run, safeties are very good tacklers. And that’s the thing that I’ve noticed, is that if a ball breaks, eight yards is a really long run against this team because the safeties are such good tacklers \u2013 Grant<\/strong> [Delpit<\/strong>] and Ronnie<\/strong> [Hickman<\/strong>].”<\/p>\n This will be a great barometer for the Patriots’ offense, which has done a 180 this season, largely thanks to Drake<\/strong> Maye<\/strong>‘s<\/strong> MVP-level play<\/a>.<\/span> Coordinator Josh McDaniels<\/strong> is also maximizing his offensive weapons and making life easier on his players. New England ranks eighth in points per game (25.9) and ninth in yards per play (5.7), and only the Colts (+0.25) have more expected points added per pass (+0.23). Rhamondre Stevenson and the run game also showed signs of life last week after a tough stretch.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Browns’ offense is struggling by just about every metric, even after swapping out Joe Flacco<\/strong> for rookie Dillon Gabriel<\/strong>. They’ve also been forced into the league’s 5th-highest pass rate (62.2) due to consistent deficits.<\/p>\n Interim coordinator Zak Kuhr’s<\/strong> defense has held opponents to 20 or fewer points in four straight games, and all signs point to a fifth this Sunday. However, slow starts have plagued this group all season, and though the team has shown resilience to bounce back, the defense is playing a dangerous game.<\/p>\n “Yeah, we just didn’t do a very good job of matching their script and their scheme plays,” Vrabel said of the defense’s early-game struggles. “We\u2019ve got to do a better job of being ready to go with some plays that maybe they’ve seen on tape or that are new and using our fundamentals. But got beat on the script in their first plays, and we’ll have to do a better job.”<\/p>\n New England’s schedule is full of potential trap games, and this is the latest landmine they must navigate to maintain their playoff pace. If Vrabel and company want to prove they’re a contender despite the league’s easiest schedule, they must fast, stay competitive on offense, and dominate a talent-deprived Cleveland offense.<\/p>\n Here are my three keys to the Patriots checking those boxes and keep building vs the Browns.<\/p>\n The Patriots’ pass blocking was uncharacteristically boom-or-bust last week.<\/p>\n After three games without a sack allowed, the offensive line gave up three to a defense that lost Jeffery Simmons<\/strong>\u00a0in the 1st quarter. Left guard Jared Wilson<\/strong> was involved in all three takedowns, and Will Campbell<\/strong> allowed a big hit on a missed blitz pickup.<\/p>\n The #Patriots<\/a> held up well vs standard 4-man rushes outside of Wilson's sack and Campbell getting walked back, but line games were an issue for the OL<\/p>\n Though the rookies had one beautifully executed pickup, Bradbury and Onwenu were involved in multiple lapses vs twists\/slants pic.twitter.com\/kSLfhKDgVT<\/a><\/p>\n — Taylor Kyles (@tkyles39) October 20, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.clnsmedia.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-23-at-10.46.26\u202fPM.png\")
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<\/p>\nContain Myles Garrett and the D-Line<\/h2>\n
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