Cleveland Browns

Cleveland Browns: Keys to a victory over the Patriots

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 6:40 p.m. ET

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Sep 1, 2016; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady (12) throws the ball during warmups prior to the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Browns will have their hands full on Sunday when they host the New England Patriots. What must they do to pull off the upset?

Sunday afternoon’s game is not the ideal matchup for the winless Cleveland Browns, as they play host to a hungry 3-1 New England Patriots team. While Browns fans have been anticipating their first win in each of the last three weeks, the Patriots have circled this game, as it marks the return of star quarterback Tom Brady.

The bad news for the Browns though is that since 2003, the Patriots are 38-6 in the regular season following a loss. It seems as if there could not be a worse time to run into Bill Belichick and the Patriots than right now. To make matters worse, the Browns have lost eight out of their last ten meetings with the Patriots since 1999.

Regardless, the game will take place on Sunday. It will still be sixty minutes long, it will still begin scoreless, and the Browns have still developed a game plan coming in with the intention of winning. As much of underdogs as Cleveland may be, this game serves as an opportunity for the Browns to pull an upset of epic proportions.

In order to even give themselves a chance to do this though, they need to play a sound game, get major contributions from many players and possibly a little luck along the way. The following are five keys to the game that the team must follow to keep themselves in this lopsided matchup.

Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) celebrates after catching a touchdown pass against the Washington Redskins in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The first step the Browns must take in this seemingly overwhelming task against the Patriots is to assert themselves. Naturally, this game will be all about Brady and New England at the outset. The Patriots are coming off of an embarrassing 16-0 home loss to the Buffalo Bills which they will be seeking to avenge. Since this week marks Brady’s return from a four-game suspension, he too will be the center of attention.

To most of football, the Browns are just the same old Browns. They haven’t inherited any respect, and quite frankly don’t deserve much coming into this week. What they must do to the Patriots early on in Sunday’s contest is step up to the challenge and make themselves the center of attention.

This happens in every facet of the game, and is not a specific key involving the intricate aspects of football. But momentum has proved to be a powerful component of every football game, and fair or not, the Patriots enter with all of the momentum due to expectations. The very challenging task the Browns are faced with involves taking it away early, and stealing New England’s thunder.

This could come in the form of a turnover, an explosive special teams play or a quick strike for six points on offense. Whatever it is, it has to happen. The Browns are in trouble if it doesn’t. There’s no magic formula for creating this moment, but the Browns do need to enter with the confidence and willingness to get physical and match up with a far superior team. It is then and only then that they can begin focusing on the more detailed aspects of the game which they have been working on all week.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz (11) under pressure from Cleveland Browns defensive lineman Danny Shelton (55) during the first quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

The keys to this game begin on the defensive side of the football. For the Browns, they will need to do a much better job slowing New England’s potent passing attack than they did in Washington. For a depleted secondary which understandably has troubles against talented receivers, the Browns need to do everything they can do to slow Brady down, including manufacturing pressure on him that throws him off-balance.

This is much easier said than done. But contrary to popular opinion, pressure is not equivalent to sacks. Early in the game, if the Browns can take Brady out of his rhythm, pressure will pay dividends. Forcing early throws is part of this, as well as altering New England’s play selections because the defense is simply making the game more difficult than it has been in the past.

In essence, the Browns need not worry about the big picture, defensive stats or whether they are finishing the deal initially. Everything will work itself out if the defense can find some consistent pressure without needing to blitz.

Most of all, this has to happen for Ray Horton‘s defense without dialing up sell-out blitzes. This is what the Browns have resorted to late in the last two games, and it has worked to a certain degree, but it can not be maintained over the course of an entire game. This is why the Browns absolutely need to find holes in New England’s pass protection and exploit them without needing to send more defenders than the Patriots can block.

The good news is, players on Cleveland’s defense have revealed their capabilities. Solid games will once again be needed up front from Danny Shelton, Xavier Cooper, Jamie Meder and Stephen Paea. This time though, the team has to find a way to put all of these individual efforts together and come away with a result. This will be the most difficult part, but it only even has a chance of happening if the Browns can generate an irritating pass rush.

Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) is held by Cleveland Browns defensive back Joe Haden (23) while attempting to catch a pass in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 31-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Patriots have excelled in the red zone on offense. Clearly, this has to do with tight end Rob Gronkowski and his sizable frame which has tortured defensive backs in the past. Thankfully for the Browns, Gronkowski has struggled in recent weeks, opening up opportunities for other less-threatening New England receivers. This bodes well for the Browns in a way, but the Patriots always seem to find a way to get it done in the red zone.

Still, for the Browns, holding New England to field goals when they enter the confines of the red zone would be a major positive. This means that the Browns will need solid play from their secondary, especially Joe Haden and Jordan Poyer. These defenders will be assigned to New England’s top threats, but will likely be moved around based on the resilience of Brady’s offense.

As the game moves on, it will become increasingly inevitable that the Browns will not always be able to slow down the electric passing attack of the Patriots, or their bruising ground game anchored by LeGarrette Blount, despite his recent ailment. But what the Browns can do is find a way to get off the field in the red zone. Holding the Patriots to three points would be a major confidence boost at an important time, and if the Browns can do this consistently, they may even give themselves the opportunity to stay in the game.

Oct 2, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Cody Kessler (6) throws the ball as Washington Redskins defensive end Ziggy Hood (90) and Redskins defensive end Trent Murphy (93) chase in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 31-20. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Offensively, the Browns must do more of the same of what they have done in the past two weeks. This sounds strange, since the Browns have not won either game or lit up the scoreboard. But what they did do despite this was get their rookie quarterback into a groove early on in games which gave him a chance to succeed. As a result, quarterback Cody Kessler‘s vast improvement from Week 3 to Week 4 was evident.

The Browns will have their hands full against a disciplined New England defense, even more reason for them to keep the game plan simple for Kessler, especially in the first quarter. Running the ball effectively and staying ahead of the sticks by getting yards consistently on first and second down is the first step. Then, if necessary, Kessler’s play-action passes should be short and the ball should be released quickly. This serves multiple benefits, as it keeps the game simple for the rookie while it also decreases his chances of being hit a lot.

This strategy implemented by the Browns has netted Kessler two consecutive 200+ yard games through the air in his first two NFL starts. The Browns will need another similar performance from the former USC Trojan, which can only be duplicated by continuing the same game plan as the Browns have successfully set up for their young third-round draft pick. If they get one, the offense will be on track to set themselves up for a more dynamic sort of style later in the game which can maximize the amount of points they will score.

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Terrelle Pryor (11) makes a catch over Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Nolan Carroll (22) in the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

It sounds contradictory to emphasize a conservative offensive approach and then follow it up with a key of encouraging risks. But in Cleveland’s case, simplicity for Kessler does not mean he shouldn’t take risks. In reality, the Browns don’t have a chance to beat a team like the New England by simply moving the chains methodically. At some point on offense, they will need to air it out and hope for the best.

The Browns are certainly not overflowing with deep threats, especially with the news surrounding Josh Gordon, the receiver who was supposed to return from his suspension this Sunday. Unfortunately, Gordon checked himself into rehab, preventing more flexibility for Hue Jackson‘s offense.

There is good news though, as the Browns have a deep threat in Terrelle Pryor, so they can take shots while still keeping the game simple for Kessler. They won’t have a chance if they fail to do this. The best time to take a deep shot is on a second down and short yardage, or a third-and-short in four-down territory.

Ultimately, the Browns must enter the game realizing that they will need explosive plays to stay competitive. They should make an attempt to find a happy medium between keeping the game simple for Kessler and running the ball a lot with taking the necessary deep shots which are intended to stimulate offensive production. If they can strike this balance successfully, Sunday could be a much more interesting afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium than anticipated.