Cleveland Browns: Grades from loss to Patriots

The Cleveland Browns fell at the hands of the New England Patriots, 33-13, Sunday afternoon. Did any position group perform well despite the awful outcome?

While the Cleveland Browns are busy trying to set a world record for the most quarterbacks to play in a football season, the New England Patriots are not messing around. Sunday afternoon’s less than captivating matchup between the Browns and the Patriots was the first game of the 2016 Browns season which was not competitive. In a lopsided game from almost the very beginning, the Patriots trounced the Browns in every facet, 33-13.

It was made evident early on that it was clearly not an afternoon cut out for Cleveland. Rookie quarterback Cody Kessler who was starting his third consecutive game went down with an ailing shoulder and chest. To add insult to injury, this play resulted in a safety, a turning point in the game.

After the Browns summoned long-time backup Charlie Whitehurst to play quarterback, everything went downhill from there. The Patriots dominated in star quarterback Tom Brady‘s return, and the Browns had no answers defensively. They also struggled moving the ball immensely, all contributing to the final discouraging result.

The following is Cleveland’s full report card from Sunday’s game, involving each major position group. The grades given were earned, and based solely on a given unit’s performance on Sunday afternoon only. No other factors or prejudice in any way is incorporated.