The New England Patriots (2-7) will travel to Cleveland to battle the Browns (2-8) this week. It will be Head Coach Bill Belichick's first game in Cleveland since his days as the Browns' head coach in 1995. His Browns scored a 26-10 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Dec. 17, 1995. It was the Browns' last game played in Cleveland Stadium.

For the first time as opposing head coaches, Belichick will face Browns head coach Chris Palmer. Both men played important roles in helping the Patriots to an AFC Championship in 1996, a season in which both coaches squared off daily in practice. That season, Palmer coached the Patriots quarterbacks while Belichick coached the team's defensive backs.

This week's game will be the first of two consecutive games against AFC Central opponents, a division that the Patriots have enjoyed their greatest success. Since 1996, the Patriots are 7-1 vs. the AFC Central. Their only loss was an overtime defeat vs. Pittsburgh in 1997.

Last year, the Patriots traveled to Cleveland and claimed a 19-7 victory to improve to 4-0. It was just their fifth victory in the series with the Browns, their second in a row. The Browns hold an 11-5 overall advantage in the series. The last time the Browns defeated the Patriots, Belichick was the head coach of the Browns and led them to a 20-13 victory in the wild card round of the 1994 playoffs (Jan. 1, 1995).

Six of the Patriots seven losses this year have been decided by eight points or less. The last time the Patriots were on the short end of that many games was in 1993. That year, the Patriots lost eight games by a touchdown or less, tying the most in franchise history. This year, seven of their nine games have been decided by eight points or less. The team record is 12, set in 1993 and tied in 1994. Coincidentally, five of the last six games between the Patriots and the Browns have been decided by a touchdown or less.