The New England Patriots went into Cleveland on Sunday to compete against a Browns team that featured a great rushing offense. The Patriots’ victory was helmed by quarterback Bailey Zappe once again, as starting QB Mac Jones missed his third consecutive game with a high-ankle sprain.
The game was closer than the final score implies, with Cleveland scoring a touchdown with a little over six minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to cut New England’s lead to just nine points. Cleveland then seemed to recover the onside kick, but upon review, it was determined that the recovering player had a foot out of bounds when he touched the ball, negating the recovery.
Here are four takeaways from the game.
1. Patriots defense continuing its dominance
New England’s defense continued their streak of torrid play on Sunday, holding the Browns to just 15 points, a week after shutting out the Detroit Lions’ No. 1 ranked offense.
The main contributor today was defensive back Kyle Dugger, who had six tackles and two passes defended throughout the contest, while also recording an interception. Defensive end Deatrich Wise Jr. also recorded a sack, his fifth of the season.
Altogether, the Patriots’ defense recorded four sacks, two tackles for a loss, and eight quarterback hits throughout the contest, registering three turnovers in the process.
Zappe has been able to keep New England’s offense afloat while Mac Jones has been out with an injury, but the defense has earned their fair share of credit as well for their play over the last two games.
2. Self-inflicted penalties continue to thrive on the offensive line
If there have been two facets of the game that the Patriots normally thrive in, it is protecting the ball and not committing bad penalties. While the team has done better in recent weeks to limit offensive turnovers, bad penalties have continued to harass the offense.
In Sunday’s game, New England committed 12 penalties for 92 yards, with the eight that came in the first half being the most that the Patriots had committed in a half since 2014, according to the CBS broadcast.
Many of the penalties were simply offensive miscues. Multiple false starts by offensive linemen Trent Brown and Isaiah Wynn, as well as on a few other players kept setting the team back. And there looked to be another potential delay of game penalty on the offense that was not called by officials.
Lucky they weren't flagged for delay of game again
— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) October 16, 2022
The number of simple penalties that have been called on the Patriots so far this season has been completely abnormal for New England. While the team has been able to play through them thus far, they will have to address the issue before the penalties start costing them games.
3. Bailey Zappe keeps on rolling
It was Zappe’s third consecutive game manning the helm of the Patriots offense, and like the last two, he kept up his consistent and safe style of play.
Zappe threw for 309 yards on 34 passes (24 completions) for two touchdowns, looking poised and confident while evading a pocket that was facing pressure from a stout Cleveland defensive line all game long.
Zappe was aided by numerous lapses in coverage by the Browns throughout the game, including a complete defensive breakdown on tight end Hunter Henry’s 31-yard touchdown catch at the back half of the third quarter.
.@Hunter_Henry84 WIDE OPEN.
📺: #NEvsCLE on @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/9YesrwP1HC
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) October 16, 2022
It was an all-around good day for New England’s offense, with Zappe distributing the ball well to a variety of targets throughout the contest. Wide receivers DeVante Parker, Jakobi Meyers, and Tyquan Thornton each had four receptions, with Parker leading the group with 64 receiving yards.
The tight ends produced well, too, with Henry recording four receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown, and Jonnu Smith gaining the same number of yards on just two catches.
While the hope is for Mac Jones to return for next weekend’s game against the Chicago Bears, Zappe has played well thus far in his stead, and there is no indication that his play will decline anytime soon.
4. Welcome to the NFL, Tyquan Thornton
The rookie wide receiver out of Baylor University was inactive for the first four weeks of the season due to a broken collarbone sustained in the preseason. However, with injuries to starting wide receivers Nelson Agholor and Kendrick Bourne, Thornton was thrust into substantial playing time on Sunday and did not disappoint.
Thornton caught his first career NFL touchdown early in the third quarter on a goal-line pass from Zappe. While the play itself wasn’t too spectacular, observers at the game noted Thornton’s impressive footwork off the line of scrimmage.
Tyquan Thornton's footwork off the line of scrimmage in the red zone 🔥🔥🔥🔥
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) October 16, 2022
Later in the game, Thornton scored another touchdown on an end-around play, making him the first Patriots rookie wide receiver to score a rushing and receiving touchdown in a game since Irving Fryar, according to ESPN reporter Mike Reiss.
The 2022 second-round draft pick finished the game with four receptions for 37 yards and a touchdown through the air, while also tallying three carries for 16 yards and a touchdown on the ground. If Bourne and Agholor are out long-term, Thornton may be able to step up and hold his own on New England’s wide receiving corps.
