The New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns both enter their Week 10 head-to-head in Foxborough at 5-4 on the season and are in the thick of the AFC playoff race. Given that they are dead even on the year to this point, this is naturally a big matchup not only to see who is able to move to 6-4, but the one who does will also own what could be a pivotal tiebreaker. The Patriots come into this contest winners of three straight and are fresh off a convincing victory over the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, Cleveland pulled off an eye-opening win over the Bengals in Cincinnati where the offense dropped 41 points.
While we wait for this game to actually kick off, let this be your preview for what’s to come. Below, we’ll tell you how you can watch this game unfold on CBS, reveal our keys to the game, and make our prediction for how we see this shaking out.
Below, you’ll find our full preview for this Week 10 matchup.
How to watch
Date: Sunday, Nov. 14 | Time: 1 p.m. ET
Location: Gillette Stadium (Foxborough, Massachusetts)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+ (click here)
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Patriots -2.5, O/U 45
Keys to the game
Mac Jones vs. Browns zone defense
Mac Jones continues to impress during his rookie season and will have an interesting test against Cleveland on Sunday. The rookie should expect to see plenty of zone coverage when going up against this Browns defense as they’ve lined up in zone in 75% of their defensive snaps this season (fifth-highest in the NFL). To this point, Jones has enjoyed great success when throwing against zone from a completion percentage standpoint. Coming into Sunday, he’s completed 77% of his passes against zone (second-best among 33 qualified quarterbacks). However, Jones has struggled to actually put up yards against zone, despite that strong completion percentage. Currently, he ranks 30th out of 33 quarterbacks in yards per completion vs. zone at 9.4.
Can New England stop Cleveland’s ground game?
The status of star running back Nick Chubb (COVID-19 protocols) is still very much in question for this game. While he’s certainly a difference-maker, fellow running back D’Ernest Johnson has also shown this season that he can be quite impactful in a pinch and head coach Kevin Stefanski certainly isn’t shy about hammering the ground game. The Browns rank second in the NFL with 160.2 rushing yards per game and are averaging a league-high 5.3 yards per attempt. Even when Johnson got the start back in Week 7, he was dominant, rushing for 146 yards and a touchdown in Cleveland’s win over Denver. Needless to say, this will be a massive task for the Patriots’ defense. This season, it is allowing just 4.1 yards per rush (ninth-fewest in the NFL). However, it is allowing 3.1 yards after contact, which is the fourth-highest in the league entering Week 10.
Prediction
Latest Odds: New England Patriots -2.5
The Patriots are 2.5-point favorites in this matchup and for good reason. Not only are they on a three-game winning streak, but the Browns’ best player on offense in Chubb is uncertain to play due to COVID-19 protocols. On top of that, the Patriots are outscoring opponents 105-43 over this streak and Bill Belichick’s defense is starting to round into form, ranking as a top five unit in DVOA. Let’s ride the hot hand as New England pulls out a victory at home to make it four straight.
Pick: Patriots 28, Browns 24
