Cleveland @ New England preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 9, 2016 ) New England 33, Cleveland 13

The Cleveland Browns are coming off a much-needed bye week as they try to reverse their early-season struggles and brace for a matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champions. However, the undefeated New England Patriots barely worked up a sweat in a dominating performance Monday night and look to improve to 8-0 against the visiting Browns on Sunday afternoon.

New England humbled the New York Jets with a dominating 33-0 road win and has a chance to join the 1962 Green Bay Packers as the only teams to average more than 30 points and allow fewer than 10 through the first eight games of the season. “I mean, no team has scored,’’ Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. said. "They’ve played at a very high level. I know our game plan is to come in and be the very best team that we are going to be." The addition of Beckham was among the reasons Cleveland was touted as a preseason favorite to win the AFC North, but it has dropped two in a row behind the erratic play of 2018 No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield. “We’ve started on a short week here with Cleveland and certainly a lot of explosive players to worry about with this team," Patriots coach Bill Belichick said. “They’ve got a lot of weapons on offense, defense and special teams. They make a lot of big plays and certainly cause a lot of problems."

TV: 4:25 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Patriots -12. O/U: 45.5

ABOUT THE BROWNS (2-4-0): Mayfield threw for nearly twice as many touchdowns as interceptions (27 to 14) during his rookie season, but his numbers have taken a dramatic turn with only five scoring passes versus a league-worst 11 picks. Beckham had his second 100-yard game prior to the bye, but he has not provided the expected jolt to the passing game, finding the end zone only once and combining for 10 catches for 103 yards in Weeks 3-5. Second-year back Nick Chubb has held up his end, rushing for 374 yards and five of his six touchdowns over the past three games. Myles Garrett is tied for the league lead with 9.0 sacks but Cleveland has been gashed for 154.0 yard per game on the ground.

ABOUT THE PATRIOTS (7-0-0): New England is not standing pat despite its stellar start, acquiring Mohamed Sanu from the Atlanta Falcons on Tuesday and placing fellow wideout Josh Gordon (knee) on injured reserve amid reports he will be waived once healthy. Sanu had 33 catches this season and averaged 64 receptions over the previous three years with Atlanta, providing another weapon in an ever-changing cast for Tom Brady, who has thrown four touchdown passes and four interceptions in the past four games. Running back Sony Michel, a teammate of Chubb's at Georgia, rushed for three TDs last week but has yet to crack 100 yards. The Patriots allow only 6.9 points and have an NFL-leading 18 interceptions.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Patriots WR Julian Edelman has at least seven catches in three straight games while RB James White has at least six receptions in four in a row.

2. Chubb is one of two running backs with at least 85 yards from scrimmage in six games.

3. The Patriots traded DE Michael Bennett to Dallas on Thursday for a seventh-round draft pick in 2021.

PREDICTION: Patriots 30, Browns 20