Four Studs, Four Duds From Patriots’ Gritty Win Over Browns

The New England Patriots extended their win streak to five games on Sunday afternoon when they picked up a 32-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns. It wasn’t necessarily their best game, but the Patriots did enough to get past a Browns team that is tougher than many folks believe them to be.

With the win, the Pats kept pace atop the AFC East division, and they took another step towards establishing themselves as one of the top playoff contenders in the league. Before turning the page to Week 9, let’s look back at the action and pick out four studs and four duds from this big win.

Studs

Robert Spillane

After a slow start to the season, Robert Spillane is really finding his groove at the heart of New England’s defense. Spillane had a game-high 14 tackles, two of which went for a loss, and a pass deflection in coverage. Most importantly, he nabbed a crucial interception early in the third quarter that helped his team score a pair of touchdowns in a three-minute span.

Drake Maye

Another week, another spot on the studs list for Drake Maye. It took him a while to get going, and his second-quarter interception wasn’t a great look, but once Maye found his footing, he enjoyed another strong outing. Maye completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 282 yards and three touchdowns, while also rushing for 50 yards on seven carries.

Jaylinn Hawkins

It was quite a return to action for Jaylinn Hawkins on Sunday after a two-game absence with a hamstring injury. Hawkins picked up five tackles and a pass deflection in this one, but his most impressive play was an incredible one-handed interception on a deep shot from Dillon Gabriel.

Kayshon Boutte

The chemistry that Kayshon Boutte and Maye have developed is getting put on display on a weekly basis at this point. Boutte caught three passes for 75 yards and a score, and once again, he linked up with Maye on a beautiful 39-yard connection that effectively ended the game late in the third quarter.

Duds

Will Campbell

The Patriots’ offensive line was always going to have a tough time against the Browns’ stout front seven, but their struggles in pass protection were a genuine concern for the second straight week. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell had the worst day of anyone on the o-line, as Myles Garrett torched him several times on his way to a five-sack day.

Christian Barmore

There hasn’t been much drama in New England this season, but a concerning situation emerged when Christian Barmore was benched for the first quarter of this game by Mike Vrabel, presumably due to disciplinary reasons. Barmore played the final three quarters, but he had just one tackle when he was on the field.

Rhamondre Stevenson

The lack of any sort of consistency in the Pats’ run game is becoming a real problem. A week after his best game of the season, Rhamondre Stevenson picked up just 34 yards on 14 carries, good for an ugly 2.4 yards per carry. He also caught one pass for 15 yards, but simply put, this was not good enough from Stevenson.

TreVeyon Henderson

On the other hand, TreVeyon Henderson managed to pick up Stevenson’s slack with 75 yards on 10 carries. It was shaping up to be the best game of his young career, but the rookie running back lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter. It meant nothing in the grand scheme of the game, but it wasn’t a great look for a guy who is trying to earn more snaps.