Stop us if you’ve heard this before, but the New England Patriots’ defense wreaked havoc Sunday afternoon.
While Baker Mayfield might not have seen any ghosts, “The Boogeymen” made life awfully difficult for the Cleveland Browns, who really couldn’t get anything going in their 27-13 loss to the reigning Super Bowl champions at Gillette Stadium. The Browns dug themselves an early hole and were unable to climb out of it after the Patriots held a commanding 17-0 lead by the conclusion of the opening quarter.
Colin Cowherd highlighted Cleveland’s sloppy first frame Monday while playing the “3-Word Game” to review this Week 8 contest.
“Browns-Patriots: Thee straight turnovers,” Cowherd said on FOX Sports 1. “New England up 3-0 first quarter, Cleveland fell apart after that. Nick Chubb fumbled, next play Chubb ran 44 yards, fumbled again. Next play, Baker had his butt fumble. What a mess.”
The Browns’ turnover trifecta was rather bizarre, to say the least. Dont’a Hightower scampered to pay dirt on Chubb’s first fumble of the afternoon, and the RB’s second cough-up simply was a product of tremendous hustle by Jonathan Jones. Mayfield’s interception probably won’t live in infamy like Mark Sanchez’s gaffe as Cowherd joked, but Cleveland’s signal-caller quite literally dropped it in the lap of Lawrence Guy.
If the Ravens are as careless with the football Sunday night as their AFC North rival just was, Baltimore likely will become New England’s latest casualty when the AFC powerhouses meet for a primetime clash at M&T Bank Stadium.
