Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots stayed in the win column on Sunday, celebrating a fifth straight W to improve to 6-2 on the year.
Here is who caught our eye for better or worse upon live viewing.
QB Drake Maye: A weekly staple in the winners column, Maye continued his hot streak in Sunday’s win. Despite a slow start against Myles Garrett and the Browns defense in the first-half — where Maye threw his first interception since Week 3 — the sophomore gunslinger rebounded with a perfect second half going 8-for-8 for 114 yards and three touchdowns while generating +0.91 EPA per play.
The final touchdown was his best of the day. Following a 28-yard scramble as the seas parted in front of him (bringing his total to seven carries for 50 yards), Maye threw a beautiful deep ball to Kayshon Boutte down the left sideline for a 39-yard score. The MVP run continues.
LB Robert Spillane: New England’s top linebacker made his presence felt with a game-high 14 total tackles on Sunday as he helped limit the Browns’ offense to just one score before garbage time. Spillane also got in the stat sheet with a second-half interception as he fell off the running back and undercut David Njoku as Dillon Gabriel’s pass then went right to the linebacker. A 33-yard return set the Patriots up in a goal-to-go situation in which they found the end zone just three plays later.
CBs Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones: Cleveland receivers ended the day with just two total receptions in a game Dillon Gabriel attempted 35 passes. Much of that had to do with Gonzalez and Jones, who each recorded a pair of pass breakups to go with a tackle for loss. Gonzalez saw plenty of time against Jerry Jeudy, who finished the day with a 0-0-0 line.
Stefon Diggs and the WRs: Diggs finished the day with just three catches for 14 yards, but gets the nod here for the one-yard touchdown that marked his first score as a Patriot. Diggs impact on the wide receiver group (and team as a whole) has been special to watch and was seen by the team celebration after his touchdown.
The contributions from the whole room continued, with Boutte hauling in another long touchdown, Pop Douglas recording an explosive downfield, and Mack Hollins leading the team with seven catches for 89 yards. It’s been a complete 180 in the Patriots wide receiver room.
K Andy Borregales: New England’s rookie kicker helped the Patriots take a 9-7 lead into halftime as he was a perfect 3-for-3 with makes from 36, 32, and 42. With some early season woes in the rearview mirror, Borregales is now 12-for-13 on field goal attempts and 21-for-23 on extra points attempts — not missing one of either since Week 2.
OT Will Campbell: We’ll preface this by saying Sunday’s matchup against future first-ballot Hall of Famer Myles Garrett could be the toughest matchup Campbell faces in his...
