FOXBORO – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – New England QB Drake Maye passed for three touchdowns as the Patriots extended their winning streak to five games by beating the Cleveland Browns 32-13 Sunday in Massachusetts.
Maye completed 18 of his 24 pass attempts for 282 yards. He was intercepted once. Each of his three TD passes came in the third quarter.
The Patriots (6-2) received three field goals from Andy Borregales.
Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett recorded a franchise-record five sacks in the loss. Garrett, 29, passed Reggie White and set the NFL record for career sacks by a player under the age of 30 with his first sack in the game. Garrett has 10 sacks this season and 112 1/2 for his career.
Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel was 21 of 35 for 156 yards. He threw two touchdowns and was intercepted twice.
Cleveland running back Quinshon Judkins left the game in the third quarter with a shoulder injury and did not return. He gained 19 yards on nine carries.
After the Patriots opened the scoring on a Borregales 36-yard field goal, the Browns (2-6) took a 7-3 lead when Gabriel tossed an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. with 5:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Borregales made field goals from 32 yards and 42 yards in the second quarter to put New England up 9-7 at halftime.
The Patriots extended their lead to 16-7 on a 7-yard TD pass from Maye to tight end Hunter Henry, and a 1-yard touchdown pass from Maye to Stefon Diggs helped New England increase its advantage to 23-7 with 6:43 remaining in the third. The Diggs TD was set up by a Robert Spillane interception that he returned 33 yards to the Cleveland 6-yard line.
New England’s final TD came on a 39-yard pass from Maye to Kayshon Boutte that stretched the lead to 30-7 with 53 seconds remaining in the third.
After David Njoku caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Gabriel with 9:24 to play, New England capped the scoring on a safety when Gabriel was called for intentional grounding on a pass from the end zone with 4:06 left.
–Field Level Media