It was ugly.
Sometimes, a loss can be so bad in a game where everything seems to go wrong that fans can write it off as "one of those days" and move on.
Yet, there might not be too many of those people in New England on Monday.
There was no shortage of miscues during the game, and there's plenty of reason to be concerned. While the Patriots may look like a playoff team at 6-2, they didn't look like a team poised to play into February with the effort in Cleveland.
Among the chief concerns:
Run Defense (or lack thereof)
Peyton Hillis looked like a Hall of Famer with his 184 rushing yards, two touchdowns and three receptions for 36 yards. Considering that his rushing output was about 28 percent of his career rushing yardage, that's not a very good sign for the Patriots' defense.
A Case of the Yips
The Patriots went into Cleveland with the highest points per game in the league, yet they could only muster 14 points. Part of that was a result of an abundance of dropped passes, with Rob Gronkowski and Brandon Tate delivering some of the more memorable ones. Perhaps this was a result of some inaccurate Tom Brady passes, or it might just be life without Randy Moss.
Grounded
BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Danny Woodhead entered the season with a combined 115 carries for 453 yards in their careers, so sometimes, they're not going to give you much. Sunday was one of those times, with the duo combining for 68 yards on 18 carries.
Master Beaten by Apprentice
Modified fumblerooskis, pooch kickoffs and a complicated blitz scheme? Check, check and check for Eric Mangini and his staff, which thoroughly outcoached Bill Belichick and Co. on Sunday. While the Gatorade shower was a bit over-the-top, Mangini deserves credit for being creative while the Patriots had no answers.
What concerns you most about the Patriots' loss to the Browns? Share your thoughts below.
What concerns Patriots fans the most about 34-14 loss to the Browns?online surveys
