Can the Patriots FINALLY Win at Home? Week 8 Patriots Preview

Matt Hylen
Oct 25, 2025
3 min read

Week 8 is upon us, as the New England Patriots will look to extend their winning streak to 5 games. Having lost two of their first three games at home, the Pats will be looking to snap their streak of tough home losses to the 2-5 Browns. With the Patriots' offense looking better and better and the Browns' defense being the best in football, this matchup will present a massive test for Drake Maye and his offensive unit.

So, here is everything you need to know before Sunday's game:

Injury Report

As of Saturday, the only player listed on the injury report is Safety Kyle Dugger, who is marked questionable with a knee injury. All remaining players who previously appeared on the injury report were full participants in Friday's practice.

As for the Browns, they are in a similar boat. Cleveland has only two players listed as questionable for Sunday's game, those players being DT Adin Hutington (concussion) and TE David Njoku (knee).

My 3 Keys to the Game

Credit to Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)

To start off, New England needs to come in with a balanced attack. This Browns defense is elite in both the run and the pass game, making it that much more critical that Josh McDaniels draws up plays to get multiple guys involved. I would like to see more designed run plays as well as outside runs to get around the tackles, so that it can set up for more inside rushes down the line. If the Patriots can somehow find a way to have a rushing attack in this game, it could ultimately be the X-Factor in the entire game.

Going to the other side of the ball, the Patriots cannot let running back Quinshon Judkins get going. Judkins has been phenomenal this year thus far, possessing big-play ability to get his team downfield in a hurry. The D-Line will have their hands full this week, but with an unproven and undersized Dillon Gabriel at the helm for Cleveland, they have to step up. Similar to what they did with Cam Ward last week, make Gabriel beat you with his arm. Gabriel has yet to show any inclination that he can drive his offense down the field with his arm, which is why Judkins cannot find those big plays.

Last but not least, Drake Maye cannot bail on the pocket too soon. Maye has been arguably a top-5 QB this year, but right now a glaring flaw in his game is that he abandons the pocket too quickly. We saw this on display last week, causing major hits to be put on him. The entire Patriots season relies on the health of Maye. He cannot get hurt, meaning he cannot put himself in a position where he can get hit while rolling out. Granted, Maye is at his best when rolling right, but that could be more of a last resort (if not designed) than a tendency. If Maye can step up in the pocket and take that extra second before scrambling, it will make a world of difference for him and this offense's success.

Who Wins?

While I do not believe this will be a high-scoring affair, I think the Patriots will be in control for most of the game. I trust the Patriots' coaching over the Browns without a doubt, which will make a difference in this game. Cleveland's offense simply does not have the talent to overcome the difference makers the Patriots have on defense. That being said, I also have a feeling that the Patriots' offense could struggle early on, so it may be closer than anticipated.

Overall, I think that once New England finds their groove, they should pull away from Cleveland pretty quickly. That defense is elite in Cleveland, but that offense is very far from being anything to worry about. Again, it may be closer than expected, but should be in total control in favor of the Patriots as the game goes on.

Final Score Prediction: 24-10 Patriots