Bill Belichick ties George Halas on all-time victory list, as Patriots roll over Browns in Cleveland
BOSTON -- Bill Belichick furthered his mark on NFL history on Sunday, tying Hall of Famer George Halas for second place on the NFL's all-time wins list by a head coach. Fittingly, Belichick earned that win in Cleveland, the place where he got his first shot at head coaching in the NFL.
For Belichick, Sunday's 38-15 Patriots win over the Browns marked his 293rd regular-season victory. Halas won 318 regular-season games, but had just six playoff wins, compared to Belichick's 31 postseason victories. Combined, Belichick now has 324 victories, and the only coach with more wins is Don Shula, with 347.
Belichick's Patriots won handily in this one, behind some strong play from rookie fill-in quarterback Bailey Zappe. Making his second career start, Zappe completed 24 of his 34 passe sfor 309 yards, with two touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Patriots are now at 3-3, with Zappe winning both of his starts in the absence of Mac Jones.
On the other side, the Patriots' defense made life miserable for Browns quarterback Jacoby Brissett. The former Patriots QB threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, while also taking four sacks.
Four Patriots receivers -- DeVante Parker, Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith, Jakobi Meyers -- recorded 60 or more receiving yards, while rookie Tyquan Thornton scored the first two touchdowns of his career. One came through the air, and the other came on a rushing attempt in the fourth quarter. Rhamondre Stevenson ran for 76 yards and two touchdowns as the primary running back.
The game began with a Kyle Dugger interception on the opening drive, giving the Patriots possession at their own 36-yard line.
New England converted two third downs and picked up a first down on another third down via pass interference penalty in the end zone, but the Cleveland defense came up with a goal-line stand to force a short field goal attempt. Nick Folk kicked the 19-yard field goal to put the Patriots up 3-0.
Cleveland responded with a field-goal drive, thanks to a 33-yard connection between Brissett and David Njoku to convert a third-and-10. Cade York hit a 38-yarder to tie the game at three with 3:00 left in the first quarter.
Zappe was strip-sacked by Myles Garrett on the Patriots' second possession, a sack allowed by right tackle Isaiah Wynn. But the Patriots' defense came up with a stop on a Brissett sneak on fourth-and-1 at the New England 18-yard line, keeping the score tied at 3-3.
The Patriots snapped that tie when Rhamondre Stevenson was given a handoff on a third-and-10 from the Browns' 31-yard line. The draw play caught the Browns off guard, and Stevenson was able to rumble for a touchdown to put New England up 10-3.
The Browns put together a field goal drive, which was extended by a pass interference penalty on Jalen Mills, to cut New England's lead to 10-6 at halftime.
The Patriots turned up the heat in the second half, though. They went on a seven-play, 75-yard drive to open the second half, ending it with a touchdown pass from Zappe to Tyquan Thornton, the rookie's first career touchdown reception.
They then exchanged punts with Cleveland, before Jalen Mills picked off a Brissett pass -- thanks to some heavy pressure by Ja'Whaun Bentley -- and returned it to the Browns' 40-yard line. On a third-and-1 from the Cleveland 31-yard line, Hunter Henry was left uncovered, and Zappe found him wide open for a catch-and-run that went for a touchdown, giving New England a 24-6 lead.
The Browns added a field goal to make it 24-9, before Nick Folk's streak of consecutive field goals made under 50 yards was snapped. Folk missed a 45-yard attempt, which came after an intentional grounding penalty on Zappe, keeping the score at 24-9 with 9:01 left in the game.
The Browns responded with a quick touchdown drive, with Brissett hitting Amari Cooper for a 15-yard touchdown strike on a fourth-and-5. The Browns' two-point attempt failed, making the score 24-15 Patriots with 6:17 left in the fourth.
The Browns then appeared to have recovered an onside kick, and the officials ruled that to be the case. But the officials reviewed the play, and replay showed the cornerback A.J. Green touched the ball while his feet were out of bounds, making it an illegal touch and giving possession to the Patriots.
The Patriots were stopped and had to punt, but Chester Rogers muffed the punt. Rookie Brenden Schooler was in perfect position to recover the loose ball.
Thornton scored a rushing touchdown on the next play, taking a jet sweep 19 yards for his second score of the day.
The Patriots' defense then forced a fumble by Brissett on the next Cleveland drive, with Carl Davis recovering the ball and running it to the Cleveland 10-yard line. Three plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson ran up the gut and scored a 6-yard touchdown, giving New England a 38-15 lead.
The Browns drove to the New England 37-yard line, but Brissett threw incomplete on a fourth-and-3 just inside the two-minute warning, all but ending the game.
The Patriots now prepare to host the 2-4 Chicago Bears next week on Monday Night Football.
