The New England Patriots face-off against the Cleveland Browns at Gillette Stadium in a match-up of two explosive offenses. However, for the Patriots’ offense there have been first half struggles in their last two games against the Denver Broncos and the Houston Texans. With the dangerous Josh Gordon on the other sideline for the Browns, the Patriots need to shake-off their first half hiccups and put their defense in position to play with a lead early against the Browns.

The Patriots offense will need to move the ball consistently and convert scoring opportunities in the red zone against the Cleveland Browns defense.

The Browns defense has been one of the strongest against the run this season ranking fifth in the NFL with only 98.9 yard allowed per game. Against the pass, the team relies on one of the best young cornerbacks in the NFL in Joe Haden. The Browns defense ranks fifth in the NFL against the pass allowing only 207.8 yards allowed per game.

For the Patriots offense there are injury issues at wide receiver: rookies Aaron Dobson and Kenbrell Thompkins are both likely to miss the game against the Browns (or be limited if they play). Both are battling through injuries and the Patriots may be wise to rest both of them this week in order to get both of their young outside receivers healthy before the playoffs start in January.

For the Browns there are matchup problems with New England’s offense. Despite not having second tight end Michael Hoomanawanui active due to injuries, the Patriots finally went back to their two tight end offense against Houston in the second half of the game last week. As the Browns primarily played in the nickel defense last week against Jacksonville, a two tight end set could allow the Patriots offense to dictate the matchup and force Cleveland to take the extra cornerback off the field and play in a base defense.

Another factor for the Patriots against Cleveland is determining who will be at running back. Starter Stevan Ridley was benched due to fumbling issues for the last game against Houston. Ridley had carelessly fumbled the ball at key times in the two games prior hurting the offense. New England needs Ridley to be a vital part of their offense as they go forward in December. The Patriots need to be able to run the football effectively in cold weather in the playoffs if they face the Broncos in the AFC Championship Game or have to face a tough passing defense like Baltimore or Cincinnati. Ridley is clearly the best back on the roster to run between the tackles and needs to get back on track.

With tight end Rob Gronkowski and running back Shane Vereen the Patriots top passing weapons and slot receivers Danny Amendola, Julian Edelman, and Austin Collie expected to get most snaps at wide receiver, the Browns may take the unconventional step of having cornerback Joe Haden matchup with Gronkowski. Regardless of who he covers, Haden is going to be watched carefully by Patriots quarterback Tom Brady pre-snap to identify where he is so Brady can look to the other side of the field. Haden normally would cover the top outside receiver throughout the game, but in New England the top receiver has not been outside receiver Randy Moss was let go.

The Patriots top wide receiver has been Julian Edelman, who usually works out of the slot. The Patriots also have another slot receiver in veteran Danny Amendola who has been fighting through injury all season. Without the impressive rookie receivers, the Patriots offense has had to adapt. Now, it is clear that tight end Rob Gronkowski is clearly quarterback Tom Brady’s first option without Kenbrell Thompkins working intermediate routes outside the numbers and Aaron Dobson stretching the field vertically.

On third down the Patriots offense has primarily looked to running back / receiving specialist Shane Vereen. Vereen is excellent at coming out of the backfield or motioning before the snap out to a wide receiver position. Teams that make the mistake of treating Vereen like a typical third down running back and matching up with him on defense with a linebacker often pay the price. Vereen has the skills in route running and pass catching ability of a wide receiver and Tom Brady looks for him anytime that he can get a matchup that looks favorable.

Cleveland will have their hands full trying to cover tight end Rob Gronkowski with linebackers and safeties while simultaneously trying to get their cornerbacks to cover the multitude of slot receivers working to get open in space. At the same time, with Shane Vereen on the field they have to be alert to cover the slippery receiving threat out of the backfield.

The Patriots offense needs to make a statement in this game. They have the opportunity to forget about their slow start in Houston and not play down to the opponent. Against the Browns, expect the Patriots offense to come out and consistently and aggressively attack the Cleveland defense and try to dictate the tempo of the game. If the Patriots offense can jump out early, they could have a big game against the Browns.