Belichick earns 300th win

Brady, Patriots march past Browns for 80 start

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Tom Brady threw for 259 yards and two touchdown passes and Bill Belichick earned his 300th career NFL coaching victory in the Patriots’ 2713 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Belichick sits behind only Don Shula (347) and George Halas (324) on the NFL’s alltime win list.

The Patriots improved to 80 for the third time in team history and the first time since 2015, when they started 100. The Browns have lost three straight games.

Brady completed 20 of 36 passes, hitting Julian Edelman on eight of them for 78 yards and both TDs.

New England capitalized on three firstquarter turnovers by Cleveland to take a 170 lead. Running back

Nick Chubb had backtoback fumbles and quarterback Baker Mayfield had an interception.

The Browns did trim New England’s lead to 1710 early in the third quarter. But the Patriots struck right back on their next possession, using a 59yard completion from Brady to James White to help set up a 14yard touchdown pass from Brady to Edelman.

Chubb ran for 131 yards, and Mayfield finished 20 of 31 for 194 yards and a touchdown. The Patriots have now won 21 straight games against first or secondyear signal callers, the longest such streak in NFL history.

Cleveland’s firstquarter turnovers came on three consecutive plays.

After the Patriots took a 30 lead, Chubb took a handoff from Mayfield but had the ball inadvertently kicked out of his hands by left guard Joel Bitonio . It was scooped up by Dont’a Hightower and returned 26 yards for a touchdown.

On the first play of the ensuing series after the Patriots’ kickoff landed out of bounds, Chubb got the ball again, this time getting around the edge and scampering 44 yards down the sideline.

He appeared headed for a touchdown, but New England cornerback Jonathan Jones gave pursuit and

hammered the ball from Chubb’s hands on the Patriots 4. It was recovered by safety Devin McCourty.

Following a Patriots’ punt, the Browns’ next series ended when Lawrence Guy broke into the backfield and stepped in front of Mayfield’s shovel pass attempt to Chubb on the Cleveland 16 for his firstcareer interception.

New England needed just two plays after the changeover for Brady to connect with Edelman for an 8yard touchdown.

Cleveland finally found some traction in the second quarter on their sixth possession, capping a sixplay, 54yard drive with a 21yard pass from Mayfield to Demetrius Harris.

The Browns made a handful of changes on both sides of the ball in hopes of ending a twogame losing streak to the Patriots.

On offense Justin McCray made his firstcareer start left tackle in place of Greg Robinson. Starting cornerbacks Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams returned to the lineup on defense after missing the past four games with hamstring injuries.

The Patriots tested both early on.

On New England’s sec

ond drive of the game Phillip Dorsett beat Williams along the sideline and caught a 33yard pass from Brady to get the Patriots into Browns territory.

But after the Patriots extended the drive by converting on a fourthand7 on the Browns 33, Ward nearly intercepted Brady’s thirdand2 pass into the end zone intended for Dorsett. New England settled for a field goal.

STREAK BUSTER

Mayfield’s TD pass to Harris in the second quarter ended a 710 scoring streak by the Patriots. They scored the final 21 points in their win over the Giants on Oct. 10 and then shut out the Jets 330 last week.

UP NEXT

The Browns visit Denver. The Patriots are at Baltimore.

Steven Senne / Associated Press Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman celebrates his touchdown catch against the Browns in the second half on Sunday.

Elise Amendola / Associated Press Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sideline late in the second half against the Browns on Sunday. Belichick won his 300th career game.