Cleveland Browns @ New England Patriots
Final Score: Patriots 32, Browns 13
Writer: Griffey Geiss (@ggeiss_mlb and @ggeiss_PL on Twitter)
This game was all New England. Despite the defense giving up a first possession score (as the Patriots have done in a whopping six of their first eight games), New England rumbled their way to victory against a lowly Browns team. Young running back TreVeyon Henderson finally started to get some volume as the exterior rush game was called on thanks to the pressure Cleveland’s d-line was putting on the offense. Kayshon Boutte recorded his fifth receiving touchdown of the year, plus his fourth over the last three games. Drake Maye was efficient and effective as always, not to mention he remains a weapon in the run game when called upon. There were two bright spots for Cleveland: young star Harold Fannin Jr., their tight end of the future continues to excel despite the dormant offense, and Myles Garrett, who set a franchise record for five total sacks in a single game. Yes, FIVE sacks against Maye and his o-line.
Three Up
- Drake Maye: continues to shine as a top 5 QB in the NFL
- Harold Fannin Jr.: just about the only glimpse of hope on Cleveland’s offense
- Kayshon Boutte: touchdown machine — four in his last three games
Three Down
- Quinshon Judkins: was unable to get anything going and left today’s game injured
- Jerry Jeudy: zero (0) production whatsoever today
- Dillon Gabriel: brutal performance altogether; just doesn’t seem like starting QB material
Browns
Quarterback
Dillon Gabriel: 21/35, 156 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs | 1 carry, 13 yards
Gabriel looked awful, plain and simple. It’s not all his fault, that’s for sure. The personnel is bad around him, play calling is mediocre, and it seems like he’s yet another Cleveland QB destined to fail. He missed some receivers in stride, including multiple atrocious reads that generated two turnovers. In my opinion he’s just not a starting-caliber signal caller at this stage in his career. He is yet to turn in a completion rate of 60% or better when attempting 20+ passes in a single game to start his career. This game was the perfect day to do that, down a bunch, chipping away and taking some easy yards to move down field. As the line shows, he did not do this at all. The efficiency needs to tick up.
Running Back
Quinshon Judkins: 9 carries, 19 yards | 3 targets, 3 receptions, -2 yards
Bad day for Judkins all-around. The matchup was unideal in the first place, facing a Patriots run defense that hasn’t allowed 50+ yards to a running back in a single game all year. He was no exception, averaging just 2.1 yards per attempt with a long of 6. What made his day even worse? Judkins suffered an apparent groin injury and did not return. Perhaps the scoreboard had something to do with this, not wanting to push their star back through injury in a clear blowout loss. Then again, this is something to monitor.
Gage Larvdain: 1 carry, 3 yards
Dylan Sampson: 3 carries, 0 yards | 6 targets, 5 receptions, 25 yards
Sampson filled in for the injured Judkins towards the end of the game, but could ultimately get nothing done against an elite Patriots run defense. He was able to make his mark in the passing game, however, serving as a decent checkdown option for Gabriel. Sampson also returned a kick for 19 yards.
Jerome Ford: 0 carries | 3 targets, 3 receptions, -2 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Harold Fannin Jr.: 8 targets, 6 receptions, 62 yards, TD | 1 carry, 2 yards
Fannin Jr. may be the only bright spot in this Cleveland offense. I’m so sorry, Browns fans. He continues to look like the best receiver among his fellow skill players, racking up targets and receptions left and right. Over Fannin Jr.’s last three games, the youngster has 23 targets and 150+ receiving yards. He also added a tuddy onto his line today. A legit option in fantasy if you’re not starting him already.
David Njoku: 5 targets, 4 receptions, 37 yards, TD
While Fannin Jr.’s stock grows, Njoku lurks in the shadows. He remains a decent option for his young QB, but as the demand for his talent declines, I envision him being traded to a TE-needy squad ahead of the trade deadline. He’s still serviceable in fantasy, hauling in 2 TDs over his last three games, but sharing targets in a situation like his isn’t quite ideal.
Jamari Thrash: 3 targets, 2 receptions, 31 yards
Isaiah Bond: 4 targets, 0 receptions
Jerry Jeudy: 2 targets, 0 receptions
Jeudy has been a massive bust this year. That’s it. There’s really nothing more I can say. After starting the year with 16 targets and 117 yards, the wideout has yet to record a game with 50+ yards (now FOUR with sub-20 yards). He has two catches throughout the past two weeks. It’s bad.
Malachi Corley: 0 targets | 1 carry, 31 yards
Corley, along with his one massive rush (ironically leading all Browns players in rush yards this afternoon), made his mark on special teams by returning five kicks for 112 yards.
Patriots
Quarterback
Drake Maye: 18/24, 282 yards, 3 TDs, INT, fumble (recovered) | 7 carries, 50 yards
Drake “Drake Maye” Maye is a top 5 QB in football. Plain and simple. People are talking about him as an MVP favorite and they should. Maye has been exceptional in every facet of the game, remaining efficient and effective in the passing game, getting creative rolling out of the pocket when pressured, throwing the deep ball, and rushing when need-be. He just makes everything look so easy, making the necessary plays all the time and the tough ones at a rate like nobody else does. His ability to go deep, specifically to Kayshon Boutte, is jaw dropping. Maye’s “fumble” came on a botched snap. His only real mistake was the interception, trying to do to much and throwing a low bullet pass that got picked off near the line. After that, he was clean.
Maye has made football fun to watch in New England again.
Missed Opportunities
- Diggs’ OPI took away a long gain
Running Back
TreVeyon Henderson: 10 carries, 75 yards, fumble (LOST)
In terms of yards, this was Henderson’s best game as a rusher in his pro career. He was no doubt electric, breaking off for big plays on the edge, making multiple guys miss, fighting for extra yards, all that good stuff. The Pats couldn’t block Myles Garrett, so why try? Instead, Josh McDaniels called for a handful of outside runs with Henderson away from the superstar and it worked to perfection. Unfortunately, Henderson coughed the ball up in the red zone which leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Based on the play calling and momentum on the drive, it seemed like Henderson was en route to a rushing touchdown… a brutal missed opportunity. Henderson also managed to return two kicks for 55 yards.
Though Stevenson remained the lead back for nearly every role, it’s good to see something out of Henderson. Finally!
Rhamondre Stevenson: 14 carries, 34 yards | 2 targets, 1 reception, 15 yards
After an “A+” week against the Titans, Stevenson regressed back to a subpar performer. He couldn’t get anything working up the middle against the Browns’ d-line. He’s rushed for 40-or-less yards in six of the Patriots’ eight games to start the season.
Terrell Jennings: 2 carries, 15 yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Mack Hollins: 7 targets, 7 receptions, 89 yards
Hollins has done the dirty work all year, blocking 24/7, and gets rewarded with by far his best game receiving-wise since at least November of last season. His presence and attitude has rubbed off in such a positive way according to multiple Patriots players and staffers and it shows, especially to the fans. While Hollins may not be the biggest fantasy target, he’s a fun watch and a fan favorite.
Kayshon Boutte: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 75 yards, TD
Boutte remains a hot waiver wire option and for good reason. Maye loves finding Boutte weekly — that’s been clear since the North Carolina product first got the starting nod last year. Boutte has now recorded four touchdowns over his last three games, going for 50+ yards in all three with 12 total targets over that span.
Demario Douglas: 1 target, 1 reception, 44 yards | 2 carries, 3 yards
Douglas continues to have a small but effective role in New England’s offense. As long as Maye remains QB, the wealth will be spread.
Austin Hooper: 2 targets, 2 receptions, 38 yards
Stefon Diggs: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 14 yards, TD
Perhaps not the volume Diggs owners were hoping for, but they got some points back thanks to a nifty touchdown grab — his first as a Patriot. After his massive 12-10-146 performance against Buffalo, the wealth has been spread out a bit more. That doesn’t mean he’s unstartable. Maye still continues to look his way often, especially in big moments, not to mention his score today was the first of many in this uniform.
Diggs almost converted a massive play but was called for offensive pass interference and stepped out of bounds anyway. That would’ve really helped his line grow to a more modest number. He was limited in practice this week. That and the scoreboard could be factors as to why his volume was smaller.
Hunter Henry: 1 target, 1 reception, 7 yards, TD
With the wealth being spread and additional targets starting to find their footing, Henry’s target and snap share has declined a bit these past few weeks. Maye still looks his way a ton, especially in the redzone like he has every since getting the staring nod, but I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a noticeable drop-off trend with his usage. 22 total targets with 2 TDs through his first three games… 14 targets with 2 touchdowns over six weeks since.