Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover: Mike Vrabel’s Inside Knowledge A Threat? | Marquee Matchups

Episode Date: October 23, 2025

Patriots and Browns clash in an AFC showdown. Can New England's resurgent offense overcome Cleveland's formidable defense?Nick Cattles and Spencer German break down the key matchups that could decide ...this game. They analyze Drake Maye's challenge against the Browns' defense, led by the dominant Myles Garrett. The hosts explore how Josh McDaniels' offensive strategy might fare against Jim Schwartz's defensive schemes. Dillon Gabriel's performance under pressure and the Patriots' struggling pass defense are also under the microscope.Will the Patriots' offensive line contain Garrett? Can Gabriel exploit New England's secondary weaknesses? Tune in for expert insights on these pivotal questions and more as we preview this high-stakes AFC battle.Follow & Subscribe on all Podcast platforms…🎧 https://link.chtbl.com/LOPatriots?sid=YouTubeLocked On NFL League-Wide: Every Team, Fantasy, Draft & More🎧 https://linktr.ee/LockedOnNFL#patriots #newenglandpatriotsSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!PelotonLet yourself run, lift, flex, and push forward. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread+ today at https://www.onepeloton.com.RipplingGet Rippling FREE for 6 months. Terms and conditions apply. See site for details: https://app.rippling.com/legal/promotermsPrizePicksDownload the PrizePicks app today and use code LOCKEDONNFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelRight now, new customers can bet just FIVE dollars and if your bet wins—you’ll get THREE HUNDRED dollars in bonus bets to use across the app.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN)

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Starting point is 00:00:00 The Pats are red hot in Cleveland is coming off a big win against the Miami Dolphins. He's Spencer German. I'm Nick Cattels. And this is a crossover edition of Lockdown Patriots and Lockdown Browns. You are Locked on NFL crossover, part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. What's happening? And I'm your host of Lockdown Patriots, Nick Cattels.
Starting point is 00:00:32 And today I'm joined by the host of Lockdown Browns, my guy, Spencer German, for the latest edition of our lockdown crossovers during this 2025 NFL season. And on today's crossover episode, Spencer and I will give you the keys to victory over for each team. And we'll also break down the marquee matchups that will be worth your time to keep an eye on. But first, let's talk some big stories. We appreciate you joining the show, making us your first listen. And for being in every day, Lockdown, Patriots podcast, The Lockdown Browns podcast are proud partners with Lockdown Podcast Network your team every day.
Starting point is 00:01:05 And don't forget if you're watching us on YouTube, hit that thumbs up. Give us a like, throw a comment in and subscribe. We will both appreciate that. And today's crossover Thursday is presented by prize picks. Download the prize picks app today and use code lockdown NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. Well, Spencer, the Brown's got a blowout win against the dolphins last week. which begs the question, what is the biggest storyline for this football team heading into Sunday at Gillette?
Starting point is 00:01:36 Yeah, you know, a week ago of the biggest storyline, certainly centered around Kevin Stefanski and him being sort of on the hot seat here. And when you were going up against the Miami team that has been dealing with those conversations since the summer, I think he kind of put that on the back burner for now. But what's interesting about this matchup for me, in relation to Stefanski, is the guy obviously manning the other sideline and Mike Vrable, who we know was in this very building here in Cleveland last year as kind of a consultant. By the end of the season, things are going so poorly with their offensive line
Starting point is 00:02:09 and Andy Dickerson, who was their offensive line coach, that Mike Vrable was actually coaching the offensive line for this team. And so there was chatter. I think that it's a lot more prevalent now within the Browns fan base that people are sort of growing tired of Kevin Cefansky, if you will. But last year, there were some people that felt that way. And there was a lot of people who felt don't let Mike Bray believe like don't let him leave this building like make him an offer to stay get rid of Stefanski make him the head coach i'm not saying that was like a prominent topic but it was something that some people talked about and so the idea that now a year later he's the coach the patriots kevin sofansky's still here he knows probably a little bit of
Starting point is 00:02:48 the trade secrets that are kind of going on in the way that kevin wants to do things but that the the coach that was in this very building that a lot of people have a lot of respect and admiration for and now he's with New England, I think that is the thing that people are going to be monitoring closely because if the Patriots blow out the Browns on Sunday and it feels like Kevin Stefansky gets circles coached around him by Vrable,
Starting point is 00:03:08 that conversation about the hot seat stuff bubbles right back to the surface going into the by week after this game against New England. Yeah, it's a fascinating part of this matchup, Spencer. And of course, we're coming off looking at the Titans Patriots matchup where Mike Vrable went back to Tennessee and now he gets to host
Starting point is 00:03:27 the Cleveland Browns. It's kind of funky the way the schedule works out where it's back-to-back weeks, teams that he worked for. And you do wonder about the intel, especially on the offensive line, as you've mentioned. Mike Vrable has talked about how he worked with the offensive line in Cleveland. He also talked about working with the front office and Andrew Berry and kind of getting an idea as far as analytics go. So it will be interesting to see if he could gain anything from that experience in Cleveland coming up this weekend on Sunday. I think the biggest storyline for the Patriots is, will Drake May and this Patriots offense do enough against what I think is the most talented defense that they have faced up to this point this
Starting point is 00:04:06 season? I mean, I'm not taking away anything from the Patriots because frankly, Spencer, they're ahead of schedule, including Drake May, who's been mostly terrific, especially since week one. But you look at the schedule, my man, you know, the Raiders, they're not a great defense, the dolphins, the Steelers, the Panthers, the Bills, the Saints, the Titans. we walked into this season talking about the Patriot schedule and how soft it was. And you look at all these defenses they've played through the first seven weeks. And I watched, you know, this Dolphins Browns game from last weekend. And I'll tell you, that's the most talented defense that I have prepped for.
Starting point is 00:04:43 It's the most talented defense that I have seen this season at all three levels. So I think it's a pretty interesting matchup of whether or not Drake May and Josh McDaniels can do some of, most of all of the type of things we've seen offensively against this Brown's defense. Yeah, it's a really good point. Like, I can tell you going into that Dolphins matchup, and it's hard because if you're going back and watching the Dolphins game,
Starting point is 00:05:08 the Browns probably looked a lot better than I think they are as an overall team in that game. When you win 31 to 6, that's going to kind of be what people assume. Yeah. But we'll get to the offense. I know coming up,
Starting point is 00:05:20 and we talk about some key matches and things. The offense has been a disaster. But one thing I already knew about this team going into that game was that the defense is legit that's been the case all year everybody they've played has relatively struggled against the browns except you know there there was a few instances detroit it kind of got away from them but they tried to keep it as close as they could for a while some turnovers didn't help that cause same thing in baltimore kept the as close as they could for a while baltimore still had the marjaxon at that point it was week two of the season and he kind of got
Starting point is 00:05:48 going in the second half and then like lit them up but it was a close game up until halftime and that's kind of been the story of the brown season is the defense keeps things close, and then it's all about if the offense can actually do enough to sort of combat whatever opponent is, whatever their opponent is kind of throwing at him here. So it's an interesting, it's an interesting match from that standpoint, you know, a young quarterback and Drake May against this really, really good defense, Miles Garrett, obviously is a pass rusher coming off the edge. I'm as fascinated as you to sort of see if this momentum that the Patriots have built up can
Starting point is 00:06:20 keep going. The one thing I'll say, though, is as much of a challenge. as the Brown's defense is, my thought instantly goes to this just being another one of those games where, yeah, they might limit Drake Maine company for a while, but how long can they stay in it if the Brown's offense can do next to nothing? And so that I think obviously leads into some other conversations that we're going to have. But I do see where that is, you know, with how the Patriots started the season, I can see why that's a big thing that Patriots fans especially should be watching for. Yeah, and going against the Brown's defense is a multifaceted challenge. And I'm going to deep, I'm going to dive deeper into this on the Friday preview episode that I usually do getting ready for the game and my final thoughts. But again, watching this defense, a lot of people, I'm sure, in New England or just Patriots fans, wherever you are, you think about the Cleveland Brown's defense and you think Miles Garrett, Miles Garrett, Miles Garrett, Miles Garrett.
Starting point is 00:07:12 And look, Miles Garrett is the real freaking deal, as we know. But I'm telling you right now, this defense is not. I underline, I underscore, I highlight, I put it in bold, I put it all in caps. This Cleveland Brown's defense is not just about Miles Garrett. They've got multiple dudes on that side of the football that I think can cause some trouble for the Patriots offense and offensive lines. So again, I'll dig into that a little bit deeper later in the week on the Friday episode. But it's going to be an interesting challenge,
Starting point is 00:07:43 an interesting matchup between Drake May and that defense. Speaking of matchups, every single week, there are matchups that make the difference. Up next, we tell you which matchups this week. our appointment television. It's a lockdown Patriots and Browns crossover. We are part of the lockdown podcast network, your team every day. This episode is brought to you by prize picks. Every day we make decisions, but on prize picks being right can actually get you paid.
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Starting point is 00:09:00 lineups after your first $5 lineup. Prize picks. It's good to be right. The NFL season is here and honestly there's nothing better than being in the stadium surrounded by fans cheering on your team. But let's be honest, getting tickets can be a hassle between cues and login screens
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Starting point is 00:10:34 some fascinating ones coming up on Sunday. I'll let you take the lead here. What's the first marquee matchup that you look at between Pats and Browns? Yeah, listen, I think I have to start with the guy that you mentioned at the end of the first segment in Miles Garrett, because anytime he's on the field, we know that the game plan sort of starts around him and in terms of what the opponent's going to try to do to limit him. The different things are going to throw at him. And you have a matchup this week that's going to be pretty interesting. Now, listen, I'll say this. We talked about the Brown's defense first segment as well as a whole. Jim Schwartz this past week did a lot of unique things with the way he deployed Miles and the way he deployed some other people.
Starting point is 00:11:22 blitzed a lot more than he normally does this past week against Miami. He ran more zone than he's ever run as the defensive coordinator here in Cleveland. So along the lines of playing like a young quarterback, I wonder. Iles has generally fared pretty well against, you know, rookie offensive linemen, rookie tackles. And he's got one lining up in front of him in Will Campbell this week. So I think that is instantly like the number one matchup you're looking at because if, if, Miles has his way with Will Campbell, which I don't, I don't necessarily think that's going to be the case. I think Will Campbell's proven he's, he's a pretty solid tackle already in this league. He's gotten off to a really good start to his career. But if Miles can sort of, you know,
Starting point is 00:12:04 use some of his veteran savviness against him and make some plays to disrupt this game, it absolutely could change the outcome for in favor of the Browns. Now, Patriots will probably help Will Campbell out. They'll probably chip a lot. Miles has seen just about everything in this league. He's seen triple team blocks at times. So I'm sure they're not going to just leave him on an island. But that is obviously the first place my mind goes, is how does Miles Faire against a rookie tackle who's, you know, still sort of getting his feet wet in the NFL, just seven games into this thing. I'm with you, my man. That's my first marquee matchup. It's kind of low hanging fruit, right? But I did notice, I did notice in that
Starting point is 00:12:39 Dolphins game, Miles Garrett not exclusively lined up against the left tackle. He'll move around a little bit. So you also have to look at Morgan Moses, who's been really good this year for the most part. I thought Morgan Moses was the best offensive lineman on the field on Sunday against Tennessee. And I don't think it was relatively close. So I do wonder how much Schwartz will look at Miles Garrett and say, no, we're going to go Miles Garrett versus Will Campbell. That's what we're doing. Maybe a couple of times we'll sprinkle Miles Garrett over there at Morgan Moses, but why do that? Let's go strength versus maybe what they see as somewhat of a weakness because of the youth of Will Campbell. And Jared Wilson on that left side, another rookie, he's had his
Starting point is 00:13:18 issues and past protection as well and I think for you as you mentioned you know it's going to come down to the past protection and I think it's going to come down to the help and that's tight ends who haven't done a good job in past protection or run blocking Hunter Henry or Austin Hooper neither guy has been consistent in that neck of the woods at all and I do think you know if you're the patriots how much attention do you want to put on Miles Garrett how much attention do you want to put on the edges because as I mentioned in the first segment I'll mention again there are a lot of dudes on this defense and on this defensive line. So I don't know if you want to put all the attention in the world on just Miles
Starting point is 00:13:54 Garrett. I'll also bring up this matchup and it kind of goes perfectly with what we just talked about a second ago. I find that fascinating and maybe this might bore people, but I don't think it will, Spencer. Hopefully it doesn't bore you because you're my co-host today. But I'm looking at this matchup and I'm saying, all right, you got Josh McDaniels, who is a very respected, smart. experienced offensive coordinator going against Jim Schwartz,
Starting point is 00:14:23 a very respected, experienced, defensive coordinator. You could argue these are two of the very best at what they do and their prospective sides of the field. And I just look at this and I say, what are they got coming? What are we going to see on Sunday? Josh McDaniels, what is he going to pull out of his bag? What is Jim Schwartz? You mentioned, I watched the game as I mentioned against the dollar.
Starting point is 00:14:48 There was a pretty heavy bag of stuff from Jim Schwartz. What are we going to see on Sunday between these two coordinators? I think it could be fun. I like that you brought this up, and I'll tell you, you wanted to know if I was interested. I'm so interested in this that now I want to look up before Sunday and figure out how many times a Jim Schwartz coach team has gone against Josh McDaniels and sort of what the record is there, whether it was when McDaniels was just exclusively with the Patriots as an OC, whether it was when he has been a head coach and maybe Schwartz sort of overlap there with whatever
Starting point is 00:15:20 teams he was coaching. I'm actually fascinated to look this up now. So I will try to go do that before this thing kicks off on Sunday. But that's a really good point. I like sort of the inside baseball or the inside baseball, inside football approach to this conversation where we get a chance to kind of look and say, hey, these are two of the best coaches in terms of what they do on their respective sides of the ball and the business. How do they, you know, how do they sort of handle things. How do they handle each other's schemes and what do they kind of throw it with the other? I'm definitely interested in that as well. There's so I know I don't want to the next one I was going to bring up was just Stefan Diggs as a slot receiver because I know they sort of line him up in
Starting point is 00:16:00 different places, but I know I from what I have kind of understood from watching the tape, he does line up a lot in the slot for this New England team this year. And I think that's probably the best place for him to be deployed in this match specifically because outside you, you got Denzo Ward, obviously, in the one side. Other side, you got Tyson Campbell, who's new to Cleveland, but I thought has actually shown he can hang with a lot of guys in man coverage. Part of the reason they traded for him and moved off of Greg Newsom was he's a man guy, plays very physical, and he was playing a lot of zone in Jacksonville,
Starting point is 00:16:31 and it was not going well. So I think the outside corner spots, Cleveland sort of has pretty well set up right now, but that slot spot has been sort of a rotating cast of characters. They put safeties there at times. they put Miles Harden there at times. I think that is the place where if they're going to be able to move the ball down and field vertically or in the passing game, it's going to be Stefan Diggs in that slot spot.
Starting point is 00:16:52 If they can kind of get him in there doing some different things. So I'm curious to see how McDaniels approaches that with Diggs and conversely, how Schwartz approaches it from a defensive standpoint. Yeah, it's a fun matchup because Josh McDaniels loves moving his receivers around. You'll have Diggs on the inside. You'll have Diggs on the outside. you'll have Matt Collins kind of line up as an in-blocker and then run routes from that position. You'll have obviously Pop Douglas will be thrown in there as well.
Starting point is 00:17:21 And then you look at, you know, I'd say Kashan Booty and Matt Collins are your primary two outside receivers within this offense. So I don't know how much work those guys will get given the corner situation. I think it's a very interesting if Cleveland does play a lot of man, how those two guys handle it. We'll see. We'll see what Cleveland does and we'll see how Josh McDaniels responds, as we mentioned. And then you wonder if Josh McDaniels will then say to himself, well, now we'll use the running backs and the tight ends more in the past game than we might have used them in the past few weeks against this specific matchup. I look at the linebackers and the safeties, Spencer, of this Patriots defense against the run game. And I know Cleveland obviously with Dylan Gabriel trying to figure things out with him. And they're going to go off their run. game. And Quintan Junkins, who is somebody who knows Trayvion Henderson very well, and Trayvion Henderson knows him very well. Travion Henderson's been off to a very, very slow start, very slow start, which I talked about on Wednesday's episode of Lockdown Patriots. Is he in the dog house or something? No, I don't think he's in the doghouse. He's just off
Starting point is 00:18:28 to a slow start. The game is a little bit too quick for him right now. It's kind of speeding up on him as a rookie. And so, you know, it's interesting because you look at Trayon Henderson and Quinshon Junkins, both from Ohio State. And Quinson, Junkins is out to a very good start for Cleveland, the opposite of Trayvion on Henderson when there were a lot of expectations. So I just look at this Patriots defense in Robert Spillane, and, you know, you look at Christian Ellis and Jack Gibbons, their linebackers, sometimes Jelani Tavai, you know, how will they defend the run?
Starting point is 00:18:59 And then you look at the safeties as well, because I do think Cleveland, not all times, but Cleveland does have an offensive line that can get to that second level. And if they're getting push, if they're getting push on the, on the, on that D line, which has been difficult, Patriots defensive line and run defense has been the best part of this football team aside from Drake May. But if Cleveland starts to get that push, I saw Miami and I saw defensive backs that couldn't tackle. My God, Jack Jones, God rest to him in his football career. I saw him in New England and, man, watching that game against Cleveland, that was a rough tape for Jack Jones. Yeah, you know, can those, can those safeties, cornerbacks and linebacker, second and third level of defense come up and rally if they have to to make sure this
Starting point is 00:19:40 run game doesn't get out of hand? Yeah, that's, I mean, it's a fair point. The Browns want to establish the run. And I think the dynamics between Junkins and Henderson are interesting. You know, Henderson still trying to sort of grasp things at the NFL level. You know, for Quinn Sean, I think it's kind of at a necessity that the Browns are like, listen, we need to put you out there and play you because we don't, their offense just doesn't have a lot of options.
Starting point is 00:20:02 They don't have the talent on that side of the ball right now, which is very well documented. So they're kind of relying on a lot of rookies. This entire rookie class is basically contributing in some way at this point other than Shador Sanders, who was the backup quarterback. So yeah, like they've just kind of out of necessity needed these guys and Quinshanes at the forefront of that. I'll say this because I think I'd be remiss if I leave this segment without bringing up Dylan Gabriel in some capacity.
Starting point is 00:20:25 This is a game where it's been hard these first three starts for him to truly. like evaluate what what do we have here in this guy like is he going to be something is he just going to be a backup for his career is there more to his game than maybe we thought the first game he plays short week goes to london has to sort of get an ad normal sort of training schedule in him to sort of play this game and that was probably the best game he's played to this point then they come back they're on the road in pittsburgh and um that game the the offensive line played so poorly it was really hard to evaluate him at all because he was constantly under duress and then this past week the game plan was basically because the weather let's run the football he only threw 18
Starting point is 00:21:08 passes he didn't really have to do much he he just ran the offense he was asked to run this is the first game because i think that patriot secondary is maybe the thing that's the weakness for them right now their run defense is really really good they're actually one spot above the browns in terms of like yards allowed per game in terms of stopping the run i know that about this patriots team and a Mike Brable coach team, they're going to be physical, especially in those two, the two front levels of the defense.
Starting point is 00:21:32 So this is the first time, I think we're going to get a chance to see. Okay, what can Dylan Gabriel do? Can he read these defenses? Can he start putting the pushing the ball down field a little bit more and make some plays that way? Because that is how other teams I've noticed
Starting point is 00:21:44 have started to have some success against New England to this point. So we'll see if this becomes the first matchup that we really get a chance to evaluate Dylan Gabriel. And I'm curious to see what that kind of looks like. Yeah, the past defense with the Patriots has not been, good, which is surprising to me when you have Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis. I talked about it all off season. Those are two of some of the best corners. Christian Gonzalez, I don't think,
Starting point is 00:22:07 has knocked the rust off quite yet from the hamstring. He missed the first three weeks. I think he's still kind of rounding into form. He missed really all of camp. So, you know, he's not quite there yet. Obviously, second team all pro. And Carlton Davis, I think, is one of the best number two corners in football when he wants to be, when he wants to be, which is the key. So, So what's interesting about that is whether or not the Patriots will play zone or if they'll start playing more man because they have played a lot more zone than I think anybody anticipated. So will they change that up this weekend? We'll have to see. All right, three keys.
Starting point is 00:22:38 Three keys to victory next as we continue today's crossover episode of Lockdown Patriots and Lockdown Browns, part of the Lockdown Podcast Network, your team every day. Let's talk about Mazda. The Mazda crafts cars for those who do more than simply move. Mazda delivers confidence with every ride with more I-IHS top safety pick plus awards than anyone else. From footwork to breathwork, athletes, sweat, all the details. And Mazda brings the same intention to how they craft every model. Think about some of the details we've seen during this winning streak. You can feel Japanese craftsmanship in every detail from the metallic accents to available Napa leather upholstery.
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Starting point is 00:23:56 I'm the same way. I'm the same way. Yeah, I think it's two or locked on bosses. Are you listening to us, Ross, and others? A little too early. So I go, I go three keys. So let's jump off here. He is Spencer German.
Starting point is 00:24:08 I am Nick Cattos, lockdown Browns, locked down Patriots. We're going to give you the three keys to victory for each team here. Spencer, what is your top key, your number one key to this game? Number one for me, I think is going to be establishing the run on offense somehow, some way. I think there's only good that can come. for this this brown's offense when they're able to actually run the football i think you saw that a little bit this past week against miami they obviously had the big touchdown run from quinshawn
Starting point is 00:24:34 and the second half wasn't great which you know wasn't really all that surprising because that's been the story of the season for them they they they go long long spurts without being able to do much of anything on offense but if they can get the run game working successfully in some capacity where they can sort of stay ahead of the sticks and those types of things i think that makes everything better, both from a standpoint of, like, leaning into their identity, but then also freeing Dylan Gabriel up to be able to make some plays on his own as well. So for me, it's not going to be easy, but I think that the bronze have to find a way to get that run game goal.
Starting point is 00:25:07 That was my first key as well, is the Patriots need to limit Quinn John Jenkins. It continue to do what you've been doing against the run. The Patriots have yet to give up a 50-yard rusher this season, which is kind of bananas. And they've had some good, they've had some good offenses they've played against as far as running the James Cook in Buffalo, they stopped him. The combination of Chuba Hubbard and Enrico Doddle in Carolina, they stopped those guys as well. So I think the run defense is the legit part of this defense that I have totally bought in. They've done it each and every week.
Starting point is 00:25:40 So keep doing that and put this football game into Dylan Gabriel's hands. My second key is keep taking care of the football. It's so simple and fundamental. But the Patriots, you know, the last time they lost was against Pittsburgh. and they turn the football over five times at Gillette. And so that's how they lost that game. If they take care of the football, they don't beat themselves, Spencer,
Starting point is 00:26:03 they should have a chance. They should have a pretty good chance of winning this football game because if you turn the ball over, and we saw this last week between Cleveland and Miami, if you turn the football over to this Cleveland defense, they're going to feast, they can score on those turnovers, and then all of a sudden an offense
Starting point is 00:26:17 that hasn't been consistently moving the ball of scoring points, now you're giving them free points. So make it as hard as possible, on Cleveland by slowing down the run. Key number one and key number two, don't give them any extra possessions. Yeah, it's really a good point. Part of the reason the Browns made the switch to Dylan Gabriel
Starting point is 00:26:35 when they did was because I just think Kevin's a fancy sort of ran out of patience for Joe Flacco in terms of not protecting the football. That was costing them so much those first four weeks. And as much as I said, I don't know that we've been able to really evaluate Dylan Gabriel all that well through these first three starts. The one thing that he does deserve credit for is, he has protected the football.
Starting point is 00:26:55 There was a couple times this last week where he threw, I guess two weeks ago against the Steelers now, where he threw a couple to the defense that probably should have been interceptions, but they weren't. But he has done a better job of just making sure that they're not giving the opponent extra drives, extra possessions.
Starting point is 00:27:10 And that's, I think, at least helped the cause in terms of how bad this offense is, not put themselves even further behind the eight ball because they're giving away those turnover. So that's a good one. I'm going to stick on the offense aside for my next key because I think, and I just mentioned him, but I think this is the game where Dylan Gabriel is going to have to make a play.
Starting point is 00:27:30 At least one big play where like he throws it downfield, hooks up with somebody on a big play. They have not been very, they have not tried to push the ball down the field. They have not tried to stretch the field at all passing-wise. This is going to be the game, I think, because, again, I worry about that wrong game getting going consistently where he is going to have to sort of step up and make some place for this team to keep the offense moving in the right direction. So I'm looking at Dylan Gabriel to have one of those moments or a couple of those moments where he maybe converts a big third down to get into the red zone or something like that and set yourself up for some points.
Starting point is 00:28:03 Something along those lines that just kind of flips the game a little bit and keeps this offense moving the right direction. That third and final key before getting to your third and final key is just get off to a better start, especially defensively. The first quarter defense by the Patriots has not been good. They give up scores constantly. They give up yardage, especially in the passing game. And I would just love to see this defense start well and actually try to build an early lead and put the onus, put the pressure on the Cleveland Browns. Because, you know, it feels like the Patriots every week. They're down by a field goal.
Starting point is 00:28:40 They're down by a touchdown or they're at best tied at the end of the first quarter. They need to start better. They need to start faster. And it's something Mike Vrable has continued to talk about. and they haven't been able to do it yet. So a three and out to start this game would be almost amazing for this Patriots defense if they can actually get that done. What's your final key?
Starting point is 00:28:59 Yeah, I like that one and kind of off of that for the Browns. I wasn't going to necessarily worded exactly like get off to a faster start. But I do think playing with a lead is something that the Browns have not done much this year. And so if they can find a way to get themselves in front in this game, I think it allows the defense to sort of play more freely, take a few more risks and those types of things. Miles has talked about that a ton, especially after that Steelers game about how there's just not a threat from their offense.
Starting point is 00:29:30 And so teams just kind of lull them to sleep on defense until they can kind of break through. And so they don't really, they can't really take those risks when it's a tight game or when they're playing from behind. But if they can build a lead, that kind of gives Miles and company a chance to do a few different things. and even Jim Schwartz, like we talked about earlier, to try a few different things. So I think it would free everybody up both sides of the ball.
Starting point is 00:29:53 If they can actually play with a lead in this game, somehow find a way to strike first. I liked that Kevin Stefanski this past week actually took the ball first against Miami. Unfortunately, they went three and out. And I was like, I'm not going to lie. They went three and out. Dolphins get the ball.
Starting point is 00:30:07 They picked up a first down. And I was like, oh, boy, like they might actually lose this game. I was not feeling good about it out of the game. But then they sort of rallied and got it. together and it was all fine. But I, you know, I like the idea of maybe taking the ball first, trying to sort of show that you're trying to go out and throw the first punch a little bit, especially again, against a Mike Vrable coach team that you know is going to be very physical back to you. So yeah, I think that's kind of where my head's at with the three keys for
Starting point is 00:30:33 this one for the Browns. All right, that wraps up this crossover edition of Lockdown Patriots and lockdown Browns. Thank you for making us your first listen and for being an everydayer. Don't forget to throw a comment in on the YouTube channel, hit that like button and subscribe. and for your second listen, get a double dose of the Lockdown NFL podcast with Tyler, the Madman Roland and Tony Wiggins, find Lockdown NFL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. Have a great day in Spencer, German, and myself, Nick Cattels. We will see you tomorrow for our final word on this matchup Sunday, Gillette Stadium, Cleveland Browns at New England Patriots. Until then, be well.

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