New England Patriots vs. Cleveland Browns: 2022 Week 6 Recap

Game story

In Week 6 of the 2022 NFL season on 2022-10-16, the New England Patriots took care of business against the Cleveland Browns, pulling away with a 38–15 final that controlled the game from start to finish.

The highest-scoring period was Q4 with 23 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

J. Brissett (Cleveland Browns) paced the passing game, with -10.40 total EPA, and -9.1% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, B. Zappe (New England Patriots) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +12.77 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (+14.9% win probability) landed in the third quarter when New England Patriots changed the game: (14:21) (Shotgun) 4-B.Zappe pass short right to 81-J.Smith to CLE 21 for 53 yards (23-M.Emerson).

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 B. Zappe · New England Patriots · Passing · +12.77 total EPA · 40 snaps · +0.32 EPA/play
2. 2 D. Peoples-Jones · Cleveland Browns · Receiving · +7.78 total EPA · 5 snaps · +1.56 EPA/play
3. 3 J. Smith · New England Patriots · Receiving · +5.07 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.54 EPA/play
4. 4 D. Parker · New England Patriots · Receiving · +4.86 total EPA · 6 snaps · +0.81 EPA/play
5. 5 T. Thornton · New England Patriots · Receiving · +3.67 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.73 EPA/play
6. 6 J. Meyers · New England Patriots · Receiving · +3.05 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.76 EPA/play
7. 7 K. Bourne · New England Patriots · Receiving · +2.50 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.50 EPA/play
8. 8 A. Cooper · Cleveland Browns · Receiving · +1.33 total EPA · 12 snaps · +0.11 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• New England Patriots — R. Stevenson (Q2 33:30)
• New England Patriots — T. Thornton (B. Zappe pass) (Q3 26:25)
• New England Patriots — H. Henry (B. Zappe pass) (Q3 20:39)
• Cleveland Browns — A. Cooper (J. Brissett pass) (Q4 6:22)
• New England Patriots — T. Thornton (Q4 4:32)
• New England Patriots — R. Stevenson (Q4 3:45)

Field goals

• New England Patriots — N. Folk (Q1 52:34)
• Cleveland Browns — C. York (Q1 48:04)
• Cleveland Browns — C. York (Q2 30:30)
• Cleveland Browns — C. York (Q4 14:39)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: The quarter finished even at 3–3. New England Patriots connected on a field goal from the CLE 1 (Q1 52:34) — (7:34) 6-N.Folk 19 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.; Cleveland Browns connected on a field goal from the NE 21 (Q1 48:04) — (3:04) 3-C.York 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-C.Hughlett, Holder-13-C.Bojorquez..

The second quarter: New England Patriots won the period 7–3. New England Patriots found the end zone from the CLE 31 (Q2 33:30) — (3:30) (Shotgun) 38-R.Stevenson left guard for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the CLE 15 (Q2 33:23) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.; Cleveland Browns connected on a field goal from the NE 29 (Q2 30:30) — (:30) 3-C.York 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-C.Hughlett, Holder-13-C.Bojorquez..

The third quarter: New England Patriots won the period 14–0. New England Patriots found the end zone from the CLE 2 (Q3 26:25) — (11:25) (Shotgun) 4-B.Zappe pass short right to 11-T.Thornton for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the CLE 15 (Q3 26:22) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the CLE 31 (Q3 20:39) — (5:39) 61-M.Cannon reported in as eligible. 4-B.Zappe pass short left to 85-H.Henry for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the CLE 15 (Q3 20:32) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey..

The fourth quarter: New England Patriots won the period 14–9. Cleveland Browns connected on a field goal from the NE 33 (Q4 14:39) — (14:39) 3-C.York 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-C.Hughlett, Holder-13-C.Bojorquez.; Cleveland Browns found the end zone from the NE 15 (Q4 6:22) — (6:22) (Shotgun) 7-J.Brissett pass short right to 2-A.Cooper for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the CLE 19 (Q4 4:32) — (4:32) 61-M.Cannon reported in as eligible. 11-T.Thornton left end for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the CLE 15 (Q4 4:28) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.; New England Patriots found the end zone from the CLE 6 (Q4 3:45) — (3:45) 38-R.Stevenson right guard for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; New England Patriots added 1 points from the CLE 15 (Q4 3:40) — 6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• New England Patriots (Q3 29:21) — (14:21) (Shotgun) 4-B.Zappe pass short right to 81-J.Smith to CLE 21 for 53 yards (23-M.Emerson). [WPA +14.9% · EPA +4.39]
• New England Patriots (Q2 33:30) — (3:30) (Shotgun) 38-R.Stevenson left guard for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +14.2% · EPA +4.60]
• Cleveland Browns (Q1 50:22) — (5:22) (Shotgun) 7-J.Brissett pass deep left to 85-D.Njoku ran ob at NE 27 for 33 yards. [WPA +14.1% · EPA +3.41]
• New England Patriots (Q1 56:21) — (11:21) (Shotgun) 4-B.Zappe pass deep left to 1-D.Parker to CLE 14 for 29 yards (23-M.Emerson). [WPA +12.3% · EPA +3.47]
• New England Patriots (Q1 45:54) — (:54) (Shotgun) 4-B.Zappe sacked at NE 24 for -8 yards (95-M.Garrett). FUMBLES (95-M.Garrett), RECOVERED by CLE-43-J.Johnson at NE 38. The Replay Official reviewed the fumble ruling, and the play was [WPA -11.4% · EPA -4.15]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Cleveland Browns (Q4 4:06) — (4:06) (No Huddle, Shotgun) 7-J.Brissett sacked at CLE 18 for -6 yards. FUMBLES, touched at CLE 22, RECOVERED by NE-98-Ca.Davis at CLE 25. 98-Ca.Davis to CLE 8 for 17 yards (78-J.Conklin). [WPA -0.6% · EPA -5.82]
• New England Patriots (Q4 4:41) — (4:41) 7-J.Bailey punts 41 yards to CLE 17, Center-49-J.Cardona. 80-C.Rogers MUFFS catch, RECOVERED by NE-41-B.Schooler at CLE 19. [WPA +4.5% · EPA +4.97]
• Cleveland Browns (Q3 22:13) — (7:13) (Shotgun) 7-J.Brissett pass deep right intended for 85-D.Njoku INTERCEPTED by 2-J.Mills [8-J.Bentley] at NE 45. 2-J.Mills to CLE 40 for 15 yards (2-A.Cooper). [WPA -7.6% · EPA -4.79]
• New England Patriots (Q2 33:30) — (3:30) (Shotgun) 38-R.Stevenson left guard for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +14.2% · EPA +4.60]

Quarterback report card

J.Brissett led all passers in efficiency for Cleveland Browns, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• J.Brissett (Cleveland Browns) · 52 dropbacks · 40.4% completion · -9.1% CPOE · -0.20 EPA/play · -10.40 total EPA
• B.Zappe (New England Patriots) · 40 dropbacks · 60.0% completion · +9.8% CPOE · +0.32 EPA/play · +12.77 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Despite the final score, New England Patriots generated the better offensive EPA per play (+0.13 vs -0.19), suggesting they moved the ball more efficiently.

• Cleveland Browns: 12 drives, -16.15 total EPA, 4 scoring drives
• New England Patriots: 14 drives, +12.27 total EPA, 6 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• New England Patriots leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• B. Zappe (New England Patriots) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• J. Brissett (CLE) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.
• B. Zappe (NE) beat expectation through the air — positive CPOE game for stack builds.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. New England Patriots FG (+3) — Q1 52:34 · CLE 1 · Score 3-0
   (7:34) 6-N.Folk 19 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.
2. Cleveland Browns FG (+3) — Q1 48:04 · NE 21 · Score 3-3
   (3:04) 3-C.York 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-C.Hughlett, Holder-13-C.Bojorquez.
3. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q2 33:30 · CLE 31 · Score 9-3
   (3:30) (Shotgun) 38-R.Stevenson left guard for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
4. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q2 33:23 · CLE 15 · Score 10-3
   6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.
5. Cleveland Browns FG (+3) — Q2 30:30 · NE 29 · Score 10-6
   (:30) 3-C.York 48 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-C.Hughlett, Holder-13-C.Bojorquez.
6. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q3 26:25 · CLE 2 · Score 16-6
   (11:25) (Shotgun) 4-B.Zappe pass short right to 11-T.Thornton for 2 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
7. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q3 26:22 · CLE 15 · Score 17-6
   6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.
8. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q3 20:39 · CLE 31 · Score 23-6
   (5:39) 61-M.Cannon reported in as eligible. 4-B.Zappe pass short left to 85-H.Henry for 31 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
9. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q3 20:32 · CLE 15 · Score 24-6
   6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.
10. Cleveland Browns FG (+3) — Q4 14:39 · NE 33 · Score 24-9
    (14:39) 3-C.York 51 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-47-C.Hughlett, Holder-13-C.Bojorquez.
11. Cleveland Browns TD (+6) — Q4 6:22 · NE 15 · Score 24-15
    (6:22) (Shotgun) 7-J.Brissett pass short right to 2-A.Cooper for 15 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
12. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q4 4:32 · CLE 19 · Score 30-15
    (4:32) 61-M.Cannon reported in as eligible. 11-T.Thornton left end for 19 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
13. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q4 4:28 · CLE 15 · Score 31-15
    6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.
14. New England Patriots TD (+6) — Q4 3:45 · CLE 6 · Score 37-15
    (3:45) 38-R.Stevenson right guard for 6 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
15. New England Patriots XP (+1) — Q4 3:40 · CLE 15 · Score 38-15
    6-N.Folk extra point is GOOD, Center-49-J.Cardona, Holder-7-J.Bailey.