Mike Vrabel inherited a 4-13 team and has it atop the AFC East right now with a 5-2 record. (New England Patriots)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns and NFL analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
Browns v. New England Patriots
Sunday, 1 p.m., in Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA
Record: 5-2.
Last game: Defeated Tennessee Titans, 31-13, October 12, in Nashville, TN.
Coach: Mike Vrabel, 5-2, first year; 59-47 overall.
Series record: Patriots lead, 14-13 (counting postseason).
Last meeting: Patriots won, 38-15, October 16, 2022, in Clreveland.
League rankings: Offense is 15th overall (21st rushing, 21st passing), defense is 11th overall (third rushing, 24th passing) and turnover differential is plus-2.
Things to watch
1. In seven games, Mike Vrabel has surpassed the four-win total of the 2024 Patriots under former coach Jerod Mayo. Vrabel has overseen a major improvement in second-year QB Drake Maye while incorporating two rookie starters on the offensive line – left tackle Will Campbell and left guard Jared Wilson. Since a five-turnover game against the Steelers in Game 3, Vrabel’s team has protected the ball and produced an overall turnover differential of plus-2.
2. In his second season, Maye, the third overall pick of the 2024 draft, has emerged as one of the best QBs of his draft (Jayden Daniels, Caleb Williams, Michael Penix, Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy). He has had six consecutive games with a plus-100 passer rating. His current rating of 116.4 matches Jared Goff for the NFL lead. He is first with a 75.2 completion percentage, has 12 TDs v. 2 INTs, and his 8.6 yards per attempt ranks second. Maye hasn’t committed a turnover in four games. His athleticism enables him to make plays off script and when a defense seemingly does everything right.
3. Maye’s big start to his second season has come despite a sub-par running game. Lead back Rhamondre Stevenson is averaging only 3.6 yards per attempt and has had a fumbling problem. Rookie TreyVeon Henderson played only nine snaps last week and also has a 3.6-yard average. Maye is the team’s second-leading rusher with 200 yards and two TDs.
4. Stephen Diggs is the team’s leading receiver (39 catches) and has become Maye’s go-to receiver, but he hasn’t scored a TD. Kayshon Boutte (four TDs) and tight end Hunter Henry (three) are the leading scorers in the passing game. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has used a lot more 12 personnel (two tight ends) with Austin Hooper as TE2 than he did in the majority of the Tom Brady years.
5. Vrabel’s defense has not allowed a running back to gain over 50 yards in a game. The run defense is limiting teams to 3.4 yards a rush and three TDs overall. Defensive coordinator Terrell Williams has left the team to deal with health issues. Inside linebacker Zak Kuhr has taken on play-calling duties in Williams’ absence. Kuhr was on Vrabel’s coaching staff in Tennessee.
6. The Patriots get their pass rush from edge rushers Harold Landry (5.5 sacks, 12 quarterback hits) and K’Lavin Chaisson (4.5, 9). But free agent pickup Milton Williams has been a disrupter inside (3.5, 4) along with tackle Christian Barmore.
Did you know … ?
1. Slow starts have been a problem for the defense. It ranks 30th in points allowed in the first two drives of a game.
2. The kicking placement team includes two rookie draft picks – long snapper Julian Ashby (7th round, Vanderbilt) and kicker Andy Borregales (6th round, Miami).
3. Lead drafter Eliot Wolf, who was John Dorsey’s right-hand man in Cleveland, rebounded from a poor draft in 2024. Other than Drake Maye, none of Wolf’s seven other 2024 picks are a factor and only one other, a backup guard, is on the roster. But in 2025, he scored with two starting offensive linemen, a starting safety, and holder and kicker, and backup running back.
4. In contrast to the Browns, the Patriots have fielded the same offensive line in every game.
5. Eight of the Patriots 22 starters were added in free agency in 2025.
6. The Patriots’ special teams have produced an 87-yard punt return for a touchdown by Marcus Jones and a 90-yard kickoff return for a TD by Antonio Gibson.
Small world: Mike Vrabel was a coaching and personnel consultant with the Browns in 2024. He is an Akron native, attended Walsh Jesuit HS, and Ohio State … EVP of player personnel Eliot Wolf was Browns assistant GM in 2018-19 … personnel executive Alonzo Highsmith was Browns VP of player personnel in 2018-19 … cornerbacks coach Justin Hamilton was drafted in the seventh round by the Browns in 2006 … tight ends coach/pass game coordinator Thomas Brown played for the Browns in 2009 … quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant was an assistant coach with the Browns from 2020-24 … quarterback Josh Dobbs was on Browns training camp roster in 2022 and 2023, but never played in a regular season game … tight end Austin Hooper played for the Browns in 2020-21.