Sunday’s matchup between the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots has been one of the most anticipated games of the season.
What was originally thought to be a battle between the two potential AFC frontrunners has turned into a ‘prove it’ game for Cleveland. With the Browns coming off a bye with a 2-4 record, the team is hopeful they can begin to turn it around starting on Sunday in New England.
The Patriots have won their last 19 games in Foxborough dating back to October 1, 2017, when the Carolina Panthers stole a narrow 33-30 victory over New England. Despite their recent run of dominance on home turf, one member of the Cleveland Browns is extremely confident his team can end that streak.
Jarvis Landry, when speaking to reporters, stated: “we’re going to win.”
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1187433161992654850
He later cleared up those comments, however, amending his statement to mean Cleveland is going there to win and not an alternate meaning predicting a victory.
Reporters present at the time of Landry’s comments sided with the wide receiver and said the nature of his comments wasn’t about predicting a victory over New England. It was instead more about the confidence of the team’s ability to go to a tough environment like New England and compete to win.
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Bulletin Board Material
The Patriots used criticism from their opponents and the media during the entirety of last season as motivation for a Super Bowl run. Landry’s comments, though taken out of context, can serve as a similar motivation tool for New England as it gears up for a Week 8 showdown.
Last week, Sam Darnold said he was going to find the weaknesses in the Patriots defense and keep working it. He also noted how New England wasn’t unbeatable. While the latter may be true, Darnold was too busy seeing ghosts to find any weak spot in the New England defense.
The Patriots used his comments as fuel in a 33-0 victory over the New York Jets. To make matters worse, Darnold finished with a passer rating of 3.6, the lowest an opponent has registered against the Patriots since Bill Belichick has been a head coach. The number is also marginally lower than the four interceptions he threw on Monday as well.
Is the Media Creating More Drama?
The Patriots have been no stranger to the media trying to craft a storyline from something out of context. It happened just last week with Tom Brady. The quarterback made a cameo appearance on the Netflix show “Living With Yourself” starring Paul Rudd, creating a massive backlash.
The scene, shot over a year ago, depicts Brady walking out of a spa in a strip mall — an eerily similar story to what Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft endured. The scene was taken wildly out of context and those who watch the show (no spoilers but it’s fantastic) would understand that right away.
But the media tried to suggest Brady was taking a shot at Kraft, something he immediately dismissed.
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Jarvis Landry Pulls Back on Comments Predicting Win Over Patriots