Looking at the offensive numbers put up against the Browns by the Jets in Week 10, there is no conceivable reason that Cleveland should have come away with a loss. New York had a measly 54 yards passing, just 127 yards on the ground, had quarterback Justin Fields sacked three times for a loss of 12 yards, and committed the game’s lone turnover.
The Browns offense was not great by any measure, but it was certainly better than what the Jets put forth. The difference, however, was on special teams, where the Browns gave up a 99-yard kickoff return to Kene Nwangwu for a touchdown, and followed that up by yielding a 74-yard punt return to Isaiah Williams.
The two plays were separated by just a little more than 30 seconds, and put the Browns in a catch-up mode that the offense is just not prepared to handle. There were other reasons the game was lost, but special teams was a firm No. 1 on the list.
In the wake of that disaster, there were the natural knee-jerk reactions that called for the firing of special teams coach Bubba Ventrone. On the whole, the Browns’ special teams have not been bad this season, but a missed field goal in Week 1 did cost a win against the Bengals–though the special teams deserves ample credit for the impressive Week 3 win over the Packers.
Still, coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about the job security of Ventrone last week, and Stefanski essentially shrugged off any notion of firing him. “I have a ton of faith in Bubba, I have a ton of faith in our special teams,” Stefanski said.
On Thursday, Ventrone–who played for eight NFL seasons and coached 11 more–met with the media and was asked about the vote of confidence from the head coach.
“That’s good to hear,” Ventrone said. “I respect Kev a lot, and I’ll say this – I’ve been in the NFL a long time. I’ve played, I’ve coached for a long time. You know, there’s times when stuff does not go your way, and the game comes down to playing with great fundamentals and techniques. So, if you’re not doing those things, you’re going to get beat.
“Unfortunately, we’re learning the hard way right now.”
The Browns are a young team, and that’s been an overriding factor for the group–special teams has been manned by more rookies than most teams would like. Ventrone cited that as a reason for the struggles.
“It’s definitely contributed to it,” Ventrone said. “It’s not the only underlying factor. But like I said, we, just as a unit, as a collective group, we have to do a better job of playing our technique, and playing into the scheme, and just trusting that just do your job and that the guy next to you is going to do his job.
“That’s the best way to do it. The best way to play coverage is play complementary to one another, leverage, tackling. We just haven’t done a good enough job of that.”
Christian Gonzalez explained why Mike Vrabel deserves praise as the Patriots extended their win streak to eight after beating the Jets.
Christian Gonzalez had high remarks for Mike Vrabel as the New England Patriots continue to roll with an eight-game win streak after beating the New York Jets 27-14 on Thursday night.
New England had a bumpy first three games to the 2025 NFL season. They lost at home to the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1. Bouncing back with a road win over the Miami Dolphins, they suffered another home loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It has been smooth sailing for New England ever since. They have strung together eight consecutive wins as they soared to the top of the league standings as one of the best performing teams this season. That much was no different after taking down the Jets in Week 11.
Gonzalez reflected on the win after the game, per reporter Andrew Callahan. He gave credit to Vrabel for motivating the team in a way that allows them to be at their best on a game-by-game basis.
“He knows how to get us going. And you can call it getting under our skin a little bit,” said Gonzalez, who made five tackles in the win.
“Has he gotten under Gonzalez’s skin?” one reporter asked, via Callahan.
“He has a couple times. But you know, it’s for the best,” Gonzalez replied.
Chistian Gonzalez and the Patriots continue to soar as Mike Vrabel keeps on having a great season in his first year leading the franchise. Their convincing win over the Jets was simply another example of that.
New York got on the scoreboard first with a touchdown from Justin Fields. Despite this, New England fired back with three straight touchdown drives throughout the second and third quarters. The Jets were unable to recover from that as the Patriots locked in on both sides of the ball.
Drake Maye had himself a solid night as he continues to build his MVP case. He completed 25 passes out of 34 attempts for 281 yards and a touchdown.
TreVeyon Henderson torched the Jets’ defense all night, especially in the red zone. He had 19 of the team’s 27 carries for 62 yards and two touchdowns while recording five catches for 31 yards and a touchdown.
Five players recorded three or more catches in the game, including Henderson. Stefon Diggs led the way with nine receptions for 105 yards. Mack Hollins came next with four catches for 64 yards, Hunter Henry had four receptions for 45 yards, while DeMario Douglas caught three passes for 36 yards.
The Patriots will look forward to their next matchup, being on the road. They face the Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 23 at 1 p.m. ET.