New England offense vs. Cleveland defense

	PATRIOTS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	23
	Pass	4
	Tot. Yds.	9
	Scoring	9
	Int's allowed	3
	Sacks allowed	8
	BROWNS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	19
	vs. Pass	22
	Total yds. allowed	29
	Pts. allowed	30
	Ints.	15
	Sacks	22
	Turnover differential	-6

The Patriots have to concentrate on finding the most successful formula for establishing a running game. There is no question that New England is most dangerous when it open the offense up and allow Bledsoe to throw downfield, but eventually the team's inability to run the football will catch up to them.

There has been little room to run and the backs have been unable to generate any running room on their own. RT Zefross Moss, the teams best run blocker, has been sidelined with a sprained ankle for the last two games but will return to action this Sunday. With Moss at tackle, Max Lane back at guard and the steady improvement of rookie OC Damien Woody, the Patriots have a shot at getting some production out of the run game Sunday.

Veteran RB Terry Allen has been designated as the team's premier back until Kevin Faulk gets healthy and has time to develop. The Browns are at an immediate disadvantage vs. the run with the gap-plugging John Jurkovic out with an undetermined clavicle injury. His spot went to Darius Holland, who is much younger, quicker and more athletic than Jurkovic but does not have as much experience or size to clog up the middle.

Starting FS Tim McTyer will be out for about five more weeks after fracturing his left forearm in the 26-9 loss to Tennessee two games ago. His replacement is Marlon Forbes, who battled McTyer for the starting job in preseason camp. The Browns should be able to hold up there, although McTyer had been playing the best of anyone in the secondary.

Cornerback Antonio Langham, who started the opener but is now in the substitution packages, will be gone for 1-3 more weeks with a broken left thumb suffered against the Titans. He has been replaced in dime situations by Ray Jackson, who was inactive for the first two games.

The improved play of rookie OC Damien Woody has given the Pats line a big boost and allows Bledsoe to step up in the pocket and follow through on his throws. At 6-foot-3, 319 pounds, Woody is a solid, powerful player who was drafted for his ability to open holes in the middle of the line. The team has found that he can also be a huge factor in the passing game because of his strength at the point of contact. Once he sets himself and establishes a solid base to defend against the defensive rush, he rarely gets pushed back into the quarterback.

Cleveland offense vs. New England defense

	BROWNS OFFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	Run	30
	Pass	31
	Tot. Yds.	31
	Scoring	31
	Int's allowed	17
	Sacks allowed	30
	PATRIOTS DEFENSE
	Ranking in the NFL:
	vs. Run	8
	vs. Pass	21
	Total yds. allowed	18
	Pts. allowed	23
	Ints.	5
	Sacks	24
	Turnover differential	+4

With teams stacking eight men in the box, the Browns have had all sorts of trouble running the ball. Last week, Terry Kirby carried the load with 18 attempts but only averaged 2.8 yards per carry.

A concern on the line is the loss of Steve Zahursky to a knee injury, which means that Scott Rehberg will be inserted at the right guard position. Zahursky was one of the Browns' most athletic lineman and beat out Rehberg for the starting job. The Patriots will look to exploit this weakness by lining Chad Eaton head-up on Rehberg while at the same time blitzing a linebacker into his gap to force Rehberg to overextend.

What this does is give the Patriot's defense two inside linbackers (with MLB Andy Katzenmoyer) that play inside the tackles and are able to run-blitz any of the inside gaps. In this scheme, New England never drops Bruschi into coverage, which allows him to concentrate on the run and get upfield.

New England will take the same approach that Couch's first two opponents have taken, and that is to blitz the rookie frequently and force him to make quick decisions. Couch has developed a good sense of blitz recognition, but he has yet to get on the same page with his receivers. When trying to beat the blitz, the most important factor is how well the quarterback and his receivers work together. Teams that are effective beating the blitz have quarterbacks with an excellent feel for where his receivers are going to be immediately off the line of scrimmage. With more experience together and time to work as teammates, Couch will become more comfortable with where his receivers will be on "hot reads" and he will be able to throw to spots on the field instead of waiting for his receivers to break out of their routes.

Special teams

	NFL RANK
	Category	NE	CLE
	Punt return avg.	12	19
	Kickoff return avg.	24	25
	Opp. punt return avg.	18	15
	Opp. kickoff ret. avg.	21	26
	Time of possession	21	31

PK Adam Vinatieri is making a bid for Patriots team MVP after kicking what has turned out to be all three game-winning field goals. Vinatieri is 7-of-7 on the season with a long of 41 yards. Lee Johnson had a solid performance Sunday night against the Giants, averaging 41.2-yards per punt and landing one of two opportunities inside the 20. The Patriots need to get downfield faster and keep lane contain on kickoffs. The Giants were able to establish good field position on every kickoff return, and it seemed to take the momentum away from the Patriots after each score.

For the Jets, Chris Gardocki could set a new record for punt attempts. Gardocki averaged 44.7 yards per punt on 10 attempts but landed two in the end zone that could have been placed inside the 20. The return game can only be described as boring. Rookie Kevin Johnson has yet to show any big-play flair as a return man.

Key matchups