The Patriots improved to 8-0 this past Sunday, but Colin Cowherd wasn’t overly impressed with New England’s performance.
The reigning Super Bowl champions forced three early turnovers and rode the momentum to a 27-13 win over the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium. Despite racking up yet another victory by double digits, the Patriots were knocked down a peg in the latest edition of the “Herd Hierarchy.”
Cowherd, who’s had New England as his top team for the bulk of the season, dropped the club down to No. 3 behind the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers, respectively, ahead of Week 9 action.
“Now you’re saying, ‘Colin, New England, they should be No. 1,'” Cowherd said Tuesday on FS1’s “The Herd.” “Here’s what I saw against Cleveland: Their offensive line lost a lot of individual battles to the Browns’ defensive line and the Patriots’ defensive line lost a lot of individual battles to the Browns’ offensive line. I thought Cleveland’s O-line had a very, very good day, outside of the butt fumble play when they just blew up kind of a clever play. Now, they are the first team in the Super Bowl era halfway through a year to be averaging 30 and giving up only 10. Some of that is they’ve just played young quarterbacks. (Sam) Darnold, Baker (Mayfield), just kids. But, I didn’t love their line play this weekend. I still don’t think they have a tight end that can be dynamic and they have no vertical passing game and I think (Tom) Brady has looked flat.”
Cowherd might be looking too much into the battle of the trenches between the Patriots and Browns. New England racked up five sacks to Cleveland’s three, and it’s worth noting it was an awfully sloppy afternoon in Foxboro. Not to mention, the Patriots soon could be welcoming a boost to their offensive line in the form of Isaiah Wynn, who returned to practice this week and is eligible to return to game action in Week 12.
N’Keal Harry also could provide a lift. The rookie wide receiver, who began the season on injured reserve, can make his NFL debut Sunday night in Baltimore against the Ravens. The first-rounder has the potential to be a dangerous vertical threat at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. Cowherd might be overvaluing the need for a consistent downfield weapon, though, as we’ve seen past Patriots teams find plenty of success with an emphasis on the short passing game.
New England isn’t a perfect team, but it might not have as much to worry about as Cowherd makes it seem.
