The game’s gone final in Cleveland: the Patriots are 3-3 after a 38-15 blowout win over the Browns. Scroll down for a recap of the top highlights of the game.

Stevenson Scores Again

That’ll be it in Cleveland. The Patriots have gone up 23 points after Rhamondre Stevenson punched the ball in for his second rushing touchdown of the game.

Thornton Takes Jet Sweep For Touchdown

Has Tyquan Thornton arrived? He just became the first rookie Patriots wide receiver to score two touchdowns in a game since Malcolm Mitchell, as he takes the jet sweep handoff to the house. It’s now 31-15 Patriots.

Browns’ Onside Kick Recovery Overturned

On the field, the Browns are ruled to have recovered an onside kick. But after review, they rule that Cleveland’s A.J. Green touched the ball first while his foot was out of bounds. The Patriots offense now gets the ball back, up two possessions with 6:16 to go.

Browns Score TD, But Two-Point Try No Good

Jacoby Brissett found Amari Cooper in the back corner of the end zone for a nice touchdown catch that made it 24-15 Patriots.

Interesting moment ensues here: the Browns decide to go for two. Brissett is pressured by Deatrich Wise and Daniel Ekuale and his pass attempt is incomplete, keeping the Patriots’ lead at nine.

Another Good Play-Call, Another Touchdown

Matt Patricia is having a good day overall. He made another smart play-call on third-and-1 to call a play-action pass, and tight end Hunter Henry gets wide-open after Browns safety Grant Delpit falls trying to cover him 1-on-1. Zappe gets the throw off and Henry can practically walk in for the 31-yard touchdown. It’s now 24-6 Patriots.

Pressure on Brissett Leads to Interception

Ja’Whaun Bentley got through unblocked to hit Jacoby Brissett, who heaved it deep down the field only for Jalen Mills to make an easy interception. Patriots take over with another pick.

https://twitter.com/FTBeard7/status/1581724297629818881

Zappe Hits Thornton For Touchdown

“Zappe Fevah” remains alive and well. The rookie shows good poise in the pocket to stand back and deliver a strike to a crossing Tyquan Thornton for the receiver’s first career touchdown. It’s now 17-6 Patriots.

Tight end Jonnu Smith helped set up the play with an impressive 53-yard catch-and-run, which started with a broken tackle.

HALFTIME: Patriots 10, Browns 6.

Led by big plays on defense and a clutch second-quarter touchdown, the Patriots hold a four point lead at the half. They’ve kept running backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt relatively quiet, while Jacoby Brissett has not been up to the task of beating the Pats through the air.

Stevenson’s 31-yard touchdown run, meanwhile, is the difference in the game so far. The play was a combination of smart play-calling and superb execution by the Patriots’ blockers up front, who cleared a massive lane for Stevenson to take the ball to the end zone.

The big negative for the Patriots so far: eight penalties for 56 yards. Bailey Zappe hasn’t been bad overall, but his accuracy has been spotty in a game that the Patriots have been throwing more often than previous weeks with the rookie. His lost fumble can be attributed in part to All-Pro Myles Garrett practically being left unblocked.

Pats Hold Browns To Field Goal

The Patriots defense held up nicely against the Browns’ two-minute offense, holding them to a 48-yard field goal. Rookie cornerback Jack Jones blanketed Amari Cooper on a deep ball attempt on second down, then pressure by Deatrich Wise forced a rushed incompletion by Jacoby Brissett on third-and-1. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, who also let precious seconds come off the clock unnecessarily before calling a timeout on this possession, opted to kick the field goal rather than go for it.

Stevenson Goes 31 Yards For Touchdown

Rhamondre Stevenson took a massive running lane 31 yards to the house and it’s now 10-3 Patriots.

This started with a great play-call by the Patriots to hand it off to Stevenson for a draw on third-and-10. The Browns were looking to get pressure on Bailey Zappe and left a big opening in the second level, then a nice pull-block by Hunter Henry helped right guard Mike Onwenu and right tackle Marcus Cannon clear the way for Stevenson. Jakobi Meyers also got to the second level to seal off the back side for Stevenson, who does the rest. A huge play in the game, and great overall team execution by both the players and coaches.

Barmore, Bourne Injured

Patriots DT Christian Barmore (knee) and WR Kendrick Bourne (toe) are both questionable to return, the team announced.

Patriots Make Another Fourth-Down Stop

The Browns had a fourth-and-1 and decided to hurry to the line for a Jacoby Brissett quarterback sneak. It appears that the Patriots were ready for it. Christian Barmore, Matthew Judon, and others combined to stand Brissett up at the line and keep him short of the sticks. A huge turnover on downs by the Pats defense to keep Cleveland from scoring.

Garrett Forces Fumble on Zappe, Browns Take Over

Beating right tackle Isaiah Wynn easily off the edge, Browns DE Myles Garrett gets to Bailey Zappe and knocks the ball out before the quarterback’s arm moved forward. Browns safety John Johnson recovered the fumble, and the call on the field stood upon review, despite a close call. Browns get the ball back in a tie game.

Patriots Settle For Field Goal, Go Up 3-0

After a dynamic 29-yard catch by DeVante Parker set up first-and-10, then a pass interference flag on the Browns set up first-and-goal from the 1, the Patriots somehow still couldn’t score a touchdown. Two straight run stuffs against Rhamondre Stevenson set up third-and-goal, then Hunter Henry committed a penalty by illegally coming back into the field of play and catching a pass after going out of bounds. So they have to settle for a 19-yard field goal by Nick Folk.

Overall, a good start for the Patriots, but an ugly sequence at the end there that took four points off the board. 3-0 Patriots.

Dugger Intercepts Brissett

Patriots safety Kyle Dugger has the first big play of the game. On a pass intended for tight end Pharaoh Brown, Dugger made his first interception of the season, undercutting the route and cleanly receiving the ball. It was just the second play from scrimmage by the Browns and a bad pass attempt by Jacoby Brissett.

Mac Jones Inactive, Zappe Officially Starting

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS – OCTOBER 09: David Andrews #60 of the New England Patriots high fives Bailey Zappe #4 of the New England Patriots during pregame against the Detroit Lions at Gillette Stadium on October 09, 2022 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Malhotra/Getty Images)

QB Mac Jones, DT Lawrence Guy, and WR Nelson Agholor are all inactive, despite making the trip to Cleveland. For Jones and Guy, it’s an indication that they’re closer to returning, despite not being ready just yet. For Agholor, it could be closer to a healthy scratch. He’s been responsible for three turnovers in five games, two lost fumbles and an “interception” by Zappe last week.

LB Josh Uche (hamstring) was a late addition to the injury report on Thursday. CB Jonathan Jones (ankle) is out after leaving the Patriots’ 29-0 win over the Lions early. RB Damien Harris (hamstring) also isn’t ready to come back after exiting last week’s game, which means another big workload for Rhamondre Stevenson. The Pats also signed rookie RB Kevin Harris from the practice squad to the main roster ahead of Sunday, and fellow rookie Pierre Strong Jr. is active for the fourth time this season.

Notable active players from the injury report include WR Jakobi Meyers and DT Christian Barmore (knee), C David Andrews (back), CB Jalen Mills (hamstring), TE Jonnu Smith (ankle), and LB Raekwon McMillan (thumb).

Matt Dolloff is a writer and podcaster for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Have a news tip, question, or comment for Matt? Yell at him on Twitter @mattdolloff and follow him on Instagram @realmattdolloff. Check out all of Matt’s content here.