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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Terry Glenn wasn't perfect, and once again
neither were the New England Patriots, the NFL's most unimpressive
unbeaten team.
Glenn overcame two costly first-half fumbles with a club-record
13 receptions for 214 yards and a touchdown Sunday as the Patriots
won their fourth straight, 19-7 over the Cleveland Browns.
|  | | New England tailback Terry Allen runs away from Browns linebacker Wali Rainier. |
"I just got off to a bad start," said Glenn, who played at
Ohio State and had about 50 family and friends at the game. "I was
a little anxious and trying to do too much."
Glenn redeemed himself on the first play of the fourth quarter,
turning a short pass from Glenn into a 54-yard TD as New England
(4-0) finally pulled away from the expansion Browns (0-4).
"We'll take 4-0," Bledsoe said. "We hurt ourselves. But Terry
came back and had a great game. But he needs to hold on to the
football. Two turnovers in the red zone made it a much harder game
than it had to be."
Cleveland, which scored its first points at home and led 7-0,
stayed in the game for all 60 minutes for the second straight week.
But the Browns, the league's least penalized team entering Week 4,
hurt themselves with costly penalties, including a questionable
defensive holding call in the fourth quarter that nullified a TD
interception return.
Roy Barker was whistled for holding on tight end Ben Coates,
negating a 35-yard TD return by Marquez Pope that would have
brought the Browns within six.
"They're (the NFL) probably going to send us a letter on Monday
saying they're sorry, but it won't matter," cornerback Corey
Fuller said.
Bledsoe completed 28 of 42 passes for 389 yards for the
Patriots, who won their first three games by a combined seven
points. Adam Vinatieri kicked two field goals for New England.
Browns rookie quarterback Tim Couch was 12 of 27 for 195 yards
one TD. But New England blitzes forced him to hurry passes or
overthrow receivers in the second half as Cleveland picked up only
85 yards after halftime.
"We just didn't execute," Couch said. "We had ourselves down
in scoring position, and hurt ourselves with some penalties. They
got some key turnovers. I think the killer was when Marquez ran the
interception back and it got called back."
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GAME NOTES |
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Terry Glenn broke the club record of 12 set by Ben Coates on Nov. 27,
1994, vs. Indianapolis.
Ryan McNeil recovered both fumbles by
Glenn.
Patriots offensive tackle Bruce Armstrong surpassed Hall
of Famer John Hannah for the most starts in club history with 184.
New England cornerback Ty Law jammed his neck in the first
quarter, but returned.
New England lost its last previous visit to Cleveland, dropping a
playoff game in 1995. The Browns lead the series 10-5.
Tim Couch and Kevin Johnson are the first pair of
rookies in the 1990s to hook up for TDs three weeks in a row.
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The Patriots rolled up 434 yards in total offense, but had to
overcome a 7-6 halftime deficit after Glenn's two turnovers in the
first half sabotaged potential scoring drives.
New England, which hasn't been 5-0 since 1974, took the second
half kickoff and drove 80 yards in 12 plays to take a 13-7 lead
when Terry Allen scored on a 3-yard sweep.
Couch drove Cleveland inside the New England 30, but Browns
guard Jim Pyne was called for a personal foul on a key third-down
scramble by Couch. Instead of being in field-goal range, the Browns
were forced to punt.
"I did not hear the whistle," Pyne said. "The play was still
going on, people were falling down. I was just trying to protect my
quarterback. I hit a guy. I was just playing football."
After a 15-yard completion to Glenn, Bledsoe rolled right and
found his wideout over the middle. Glenn, who had 11 catches in the
first half, spun out of one tackle and outran cornerback Corey
Fuller for the score.
New England coach Pete Carroll said he had a few words for Glenn
after the wide receiver fumbled for the second time.
"I said something to him," Carroll said. "But there isn't a
whole lot to say that he doesn't know. After the first one, I
couldn't imagine the second one. But he came back and had a monster
game."
The Browns played their best 30 minutes of the season in the
first half, forcing two turnovers and getting big plays on defense
to take a 7-6 halftime lead.
Vinatieri's second field goal of the half with 26 seconds left
brought the Patriots within a point.
After being shut out 43-0 in their home opener against
Pittsburgh, Cleveland took its first lead of the season with 4:31
remaining in the first quarter when Couch and fellow rookie Kevin
Johnson hooked up for their third TD pass this season.
Cleveland, which has scored just 24 points in four games, missed
a scoring chance earlier in the first quarter when Phil Dawson
missed a 38-yard field goal.
"These are the games that hurt," said Cleveland coach Chris
Palmer, a four-year assistant with New England. "But I am proud of
our team. New England is obviously a playoff team and our guys were
hanging in there."
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ALSO SEE
NFL Scoreboard
New England Clubhouse
Cleveland Clubhouse
Week 4 wrap-ups
Week 4 infirmary report
TJ's Take: Hard-charging Rams
Week 4 PrimeTime Players
Week 4 stats leaders
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