Predicting the Cleveland Browns record without Deshaun Watson
By Chad Porto
Home vs. Patriots (Oct. 16)
Stephen A. Smith told a near career-ending joke about how Bill Belichick looks bad without Tom Brady. Hilarious, especially considering that Mac Jones wasn’t some can’t-miss prospect and he ended up going to the Pro Bowl and leading the Patriots to a 10-win season.
Maybe it wasn’t a joke and just a terrible, terrible take…Regardless, Belichick isn’t done, by any means. He’s still the best coach in not only the history of the game but in today’s game as well. The Patriots are lacking any firepower or name value but they’re going to keep doing things the Patriots’ way and winning games due to it.
The Browns have Kevin Stefanski, who was so inept in 2021, that he threw a quarterback out to play who had to re-learn how to throw to accommodate an injury and a harness. We’re screwed. In a battle of X’s and O’s, Belichick is playing 3-D chess, and Stefanski’s sucking on the game of life pieces.
Defensively, the Patriots have a solid unit, but no one to make you sweat (at least right now), and they’ll be relying on Mack Wilson to help slow the Browns down. I don’t expect the Browns to be able to outduel the Patriots but the Patriots over-achieved last year in my opinion, and they are vulnerable but I don’t trust Stefanski enough to out-duel Belichick.
Patriots Win: (20-17)
Record: 2-4