The first half in New England belonged to Cleveland.
The Patriots went into the locker room trailing the Browns 27-13 after 30 minutes that tilted quickly in Cleveland’s direction, with the Browns’ offense dictating the pace and piling up scores in a hurry.
Cleveland opened the game by marching right down the field, helped along by a 28-yard defensive pass interference penalty on Patriots cornerback Kindle Vildor. Raheim Sanders added 21 rushing yards on the drive, and Luke Floriea finished it off with a six-yard touchdown.
New England answered immediately. Patriots quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant handled the offensive playcalling, and Tommy DeVito helped the Patriots punch back with a 45-yard touchdown to Kyle Williams. Andy Borregales added the extra point, and the game was tied at 7-7.
That didn’t last long.
The Browns struck again on their next possession, with Floriea scoring his second touchdown of the night. Cleveland needed just over four minutes and seven plays to go 74 yards. New England’s next drive never got off the ground, with a pair of Lan Larison drops contributing to a three-and-out.
Cleveland closed the first quarter with a four-play drive that ended in a field goal, giving the Browns a 17-7 lead with seconds left in the opening frame.
The Patriots then ran into more trouble right before halftime. Behren Morton was intercepted by Browns linebacker Easton Mascarenas-Arnold after the ball bounced off the leg of tight end CJ Dippre.
Cleveland couldn’t move the chains on its first drive of the second quarter, but Andre Szmyt still extended the lead with a 47-yard field goal.
New England showed some life on its next series. Morton and running back Hassan Haskins kept the chains moving on the ground, and Kyle Dixon chipped in with a 19-yard catch to help get the Patriots inside the Browns’ 10-yard line. But the drive stalled, and Borregales settled for a 26-yard field goal.
The defense couldn’t create a stop when it mattered most. A roughing the passer penalty on edge rusher Amari Gainer and a 29-yard completion to Kole Wilson pushed Cleveland deep into New England territory, and Dillon Gabriel finished the series with his third passing touchdown of the night, a dump-off to Ahmani Marshall.
New England nearly had another takeaway wiped out by penalty when a 31-yard defensive pass interference call on Cleveland erased what would have been Morton’s second interception. The Patriots still managed one last scoring drive before the break, with Borregales drilling a 33-yard field goal to make it 27-13 at halftime.
The Patriots were also playing shorthanded. There were 38 players who did not suit up because of injuries and veteran rest, and that number grew to 38 after new S Jaylen Reed was also ruled out of uniform.
Left tackle James Hudson III exited midway through the second quarter with an apparent arm injury and did not return.
Statistically, DeVito went 2 of 4 for 55 passing yards, 16 rushing yards and a touchdown. Morton finished 8 of 12 for 56 passing yards, 18 rushing yards and an interception.
Williams caught two passes for 55 yards and a touchdown. Charles Woods totaled seven tackles and one tackle for loss.
Borregales was perfect on his kicks, hitting both field goals and his lone extra point.
In Other News...
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Browns Just Made Their New Offensive Direction Impossible To Miss
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His release fits the broader shift under new head coach Todd Monken, who is steering the offense toward a different look and giving younger receivers more room to grow. With KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston part of that mix, the Browns are signaling that the wideout room is being built around development and fit now, not past draft status. [Read more 🡒]