The New England Patriots just wrapped up their preseason with a brutal 37-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns, and man, it was a rough one. With their frontline guys like Drake Maye sitting out, it was the depth players who were supposed to step up. Instead, we saw a defensive unit that just couldn’t hold the line, letting the Browns run wild.
First Quarter Meltdown
From the jump, the Patriots’ defense looked shaky. After losing the coin toss, they were on the field first against Dillon Gabriel and Cleveland’s reserves, and it didn’t take long for trouble to hit. A defensive pass interference penalty on Kindle Vildor put the Browns deep, and they needed just four plays to score their first touchdown. You hate to see that kind of easy yardage given up so early.
There was one bright spot, though: Tommy DeVito, starting at QB, hooked up with Kyle Williams for a sweet 45-yard touchdown down the left sideline. That tied it up quickly, 7-7, and for a second, you thought maybe they had some fight in them. But nope, the Browns answered right back. Rookie Gabe Jacas bit hard on a zone-read, letting Gabriel pick up a crucial third-down with his legs. Then Gabriel carved them up through the air, hitting two chunk gains over the middle, the second one a 14-yard touchdown. Just like that, it was 14-7 Cleveland.
Interceptions and More Points
The Patriots offense then went three-and-out, with Lan Larison dropping a slightly behind pass on third down. Matt Haack came out to punt, and boom, Cleveland ripped off a 52-yard deep connection to Ben Patterson on their very first play of the new drive! Though the Patriots did get a sack on Gabriel in the red zone, Cleveland still got three points from kicker Andrew Szmyt, making it 17-7.
Things only got worse when seventh-round rookie Behren Morton came in for DeVito. His very first pass attempt bounced right off tight end CJ Dippre’s foot and into the hands of a Browns defender. That turnover gave Cleveland the ball at the Patriots’ 31-yard line, and three plays later, Szmyt kicked another field goal. Now it’s 20-7 Cleveland. Morton did manage to drive the Patriots into the red zone looking for a response, but the article cuts off there. You can just feel the frustration building.
So, the preseason is over for New England, and this final 37-13 thrashing by the Browns’ reserves really highlighted their depth issues. Giving up that many points and struggling to move the ball consistently, especially with those turnovers, is a tough way to go into the regular season. Hopefully, their starters can iron things out, because those backup performances left a lot to be desired.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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