Barth’s 5 Things: Patriots return home to face unique test against Browns

Prior to the season, Weeks 6-8 were identified by many as the easiest stretch of what was already expected to be an easy schedule for the New England Patriots. The stretch includes road games at the New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans, followed by a home game against the Cleveland Browns.

So far, the Patriots have taken care of business during this stretch. After a win that was closer than it probably should have been against the Saints, the Patriots won by three scores last week against the Titans. Now as they return home, they'll try to finish out the sweep against the Browns before things get a little tougher in November.

While the Browns are part of this 'easier' portion of their schedule - and their 2-5 record certainly reflects that - they may be the toughest challenge of this three game stretch. That's because of their defense, which has been a top-10 unit against both the run and the pass so far this season.

"Yeah, I mean, I think just statistically and play style," Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel replied this week when asked if the Browns' defense is the best one the Patriots have seen so far. "They're playing at a high level, they're with playing a lot of confidence. It's a lot of speed, a lot of disruption. They don't give you a whole lot of time to make decisions. And then there's enough change ups in there that you just have to be good. You have to be sound, can't hold on to the ball. Coverage is sticky and the linebackers are fast."

What do the Patriots need to worry about most when it comes to the Browns' defense? Where can they attack? And what about the other side of the ball? We'll get into all of that in this week's '5 Things.'

Let's start with the biggest problem posed by the Browns' defense - and one of the best players in the league - Myles Garrett. Through the first seven games of his age-30 season Garrett has five sacks and 27 pressures, with his 27% pass rush win rate ranking third in the NFL according to PFF.

Garrett isn't the first elite pass rusher the Patriots fill face this year. However, he presents a different kind of challenge. Maxx Crosby and T.J. Watt mainly line up on the left side of the defense, across from the right tackle. Garrett moves all over the formation but mainly plays on the right side of the defense coming at the quarterback's blindside. Against the Patriots, that puts him across from the two rookie starters in left tackle Will Campbell and guard Jared Wilson.

This will be Campbell's toughest test as a pro so far, and could end up being the toughest test of his rookie year overall. Look for the Patriots to send help his way, whether it be chipping with tight ends and running backs, leaving those players in the protection all together, or even putting a sixth offensive lineman on the field on that side.

Given the Browns' struggles on offense (we'll get to those in a bit), the last thing the Patriots can afford to do in this game is give Cleveland short fields or defensive points outright. For instance, the Browns hadn't scored more than 17 points in a game prior to last week, when they put up 31 on the Miami Dolphins. That comes with important context though - the Browns had a pick-six, and two other touchdown drives that started on the plus side of the field because of turnovers.

No player is going to do more to get after the football than Garrett. It's important the Patriots know where he is at all times, and don't allow him to wreck the game.

"Myles Garrett. He's one of the best players in the league," quarterback Drake Maye said on Wednesday. "He's somebody you’ve got to know where he's at. A lot of credit to him. He plays hard, he's disruptive, and he's good in the run game and the pass game. It's going to be a tough challenge."

One other thing the Patriots can do schematically to help limit Garrett's impact is move the pocket with designed quarterback rollouts. Not only is that an area where Maye has thrived this year, but the Browns are also one of the worst teams against rollouts in the NFL. Look to see if the Patriots get Maye moving early, and if they have any shot plays designed off bootlegs.

Of course, rollouts and bootlegs are a lot more effective when paired with a successful play action game. That means getting the running game going, so let's get to that...

While the Browns have a top-10 pass defensive this year, their run defense is their true strength. Through seven weeks they're allowing just 3.3 yards per carry, which is the lowest total in the NFL. In terms of total rushing yards allowed they rank fourth, with is a standout number given how much the Browns have trailed this year, with teams trying to run out the clock on them late in games.

The Browns have playmakers against the run at all three levels of the defense. They've been stout at the line of scrimmage, stuffing 23.7% of opposing run plays. That's the highest rate in the league.

Even when opposing rushers do break through though, they've been brought down quickly. Vrabel singled out safeties Grant Delpit and Ronnie Hickman this week as being strong tacklers at the last line of the defense. The Browns have allowed just 13 runs of 10 or more yards this year, tied for the sixth-fewest in the NFL.

That will be the test for a Patriots rushing attack that struggled for most of the season before last week. Against the Titans things seemed to click, with bigger holes created by the offensive line and Rhamondre Stevenson running with more conviction without putting the ball on the ground. It resulted in the team rushing for over 170 yards at over five yards per carry.

Replicating those exact numbers shouldn't be entirely necessary against the Browns, but the run game can't go stagnant again, either. Having a rushing attack that the Browns' defense has to respect will help the Patriots move the ball without becoming one-dimensional, and throw off the rhythm of Cleveland's pass rush.

One interesting thing to watch will be the distribution of the workload among the running backs. Last week it was almost all Stevenson, with TreVeyon Henderson playing a season-low in snaps and only receiving two touches. Patriots coaches have noted this week that Henderson's reduced role was about the flow of that specific game rather than a demotion, but didn't give a clear indication as to how much or little he'll be involved moving forward. Terrell Jennings could also work his way into the mix after getting his first carries of the year late in that win over the Titans.

As good as the Browns have been defensively, the offense has been the opposite. Cleveland ranks 30th in scoring, with the 30th-ranked passing game and 28th-ranked rushing attack. While the Patriots may need to get more creative to handle some of the challenged posed by the Browns' defense, for their own defense this is much more of a 'take care of business' kind of game.

Prior to last week, the Browns hadn't scored more than 17 points in a game this season. They put up 31 against the Dolphins but that was thanks to a defensive score, and two more drives starting on the plus side of the field (including one at the two-yard line) after turnovers.

At quarterback the Browns will go with third-round pick Dillon Gabriel, who will be making his fourth NFL start. Gabriel will mainly test the Patriots around the line of scrimmage - he has just four deep throws all season and has an average depth of target of 6.1 yards, the lowest among qualifying quarterbacks. While he's yet to turn the ball over, his overly-conservative play style has at times hindered the offense.

If the Browns are going to get big plays on offense they'd come on the ground. Second-round pick Quinshon Judkins has started to find a groove in recent weeks, and had 84 yards and three touchdowns against Miami. He'll be the focus for the Patriots' third-ranked run defense.

Whether it be Gabriel throwing underneath or Judkins running the ball, tackling should be a point of emphasis this week. Judkins and tight ends David Njoku and Harold Fannin can make plays with the ball in their hands, so the Patriots will need to get them down quickly and not allow hidden yardage. While tackling was an issue for the Patriots earlier in the year, they've been much better during this winning streak.

On top of those issues for the Browns, the team is dealing with injuries to multiple key players. Heading into Friday's practice, the team has 15 players on the injury report.

That includes Njoku, who was limited the first two days of the week with a knee injury after not playing last week. Njoku missing time could be impactful, as the Browns are one of the biggest users of two tight end sets in the NFL. Their third tight end, Blake Whiteheart, was limited on Wednesday then a full participant on Thursday with a shoulder injury.

Elsewhere on the offense, starting wide receiver Jerry Jeudy's status could also be in question. Jeudy missed Wednesday's practice with a knee injury, and was limited on Thursday.

On defense, both of the Browns starting cornerbacks are banged up. Denzel Ward was limited Thursday and then a full participant on Friday with a hip injury, while Tyson Campbell was limited both days with a quad injury.

As for the Patriots, their major injury concerns come at safety. While Jaylinn Hawkins returned to practice, he is still listed with a hamstring injury that has held him out the last two weeks. Meanwhile Craig Woodson missed the first day of practice then returned as limited on Thursday with an ankle injury, and Kyle Dugger was added on Thursday with a knee injury.

Another week, another notable referee crew for the Patriots. This time, it's a crew they've had before, led by first-year head referee Alex Moore.

What makes Moore's crew notable? They've thrown more flags than any crew in the league this year, at 21.86 per game (including declined penalties). That makes them one of only three crews throwing more than 20 flags per game.

Given that tendency, the Patriots will have to be extra careful in this game. There won't be a lot of wiggle room, and multiple ticky-tack calls aren't out of the question (the same goes for the Browns).

When it comes to the penalty-to-penalty tendencies though, the Patriots should already have an idea of what to expect. Moore's already worked one of their games this year, their Week 2 win against the Miami Dolphins. Moore's crew threw a season-high 28 flags in that one. Meanwhile, this will be their first time working a Browns game this season.