34-14

Losing in embarrassing fashion to the lowly Browns? Yeah, that's good for a kick in the stones.

Watching a Bill Belichick team get thoroughly outplayed by Eric Mangini's club? Yeah, toss in a second kick to the nuts for good measure.

The bottom line today was that the Browns were the better team. There is no other way to describe this game. I will be the anti-Borges and apologize for predicting a 55-3 Patriots victory.

Peyton Hillis rushed for 184 yards and two touchdowns and the Cleveland defense shut down Tom Brady and the Pats. I am still trying to figure out if I just watched Colt McCoy outplay Brady or if it was just a dream.

The silver lining today is that the 6-2 Patriots can do no worse than end the day tied with the Jets for the lead AFC East. Per NFL rules in games that are announced by Gus Johnson, the Jets and Lions game is in overtime. They just have to learn from their mistakes and then put today's game in the rearview mirror.

*** Update: The Jets won 23-20 in overtime. The Patriots are now tied with the Jets for first place in the AFC East but the Jets do hold the tie-breaker right now having beaten the Patriots head-to-head in Week 2. ***

The next two weeks could make or break the Patriots as AFC contenders as they travel to Pittsburgh and then host Indianapolis. If they are standing at 8-2 or 7-3 heading into their Thanksgiving Day game in Detroit then today's loss won't be such a big deal. However, if they fall to 6-4 then this game will linger over their playoff hopes like a vulture circling fresh road kill.