Posted by Josh Katzowitz

You rarely can write this, but Patriots coach Bill Belichick is getting outcoached and his New England squad is getting outclassed by an inferior team. On this occasion, Browns coach Eric Mangini, Belichick's former assistant, is the one who’s making New England look bad, and Cleveland leads 17-7 at halftime.

How did it happen? Browns RB Peyton Hillis had a big first quarter – 62 yards and a touchdown – and rookie QB Colt McCoy, making just his third start, is effectively efficient.

And two trick plays have confused the Patriots.

The first: On a fourth-and-one at mid-field, the Browns lined up in a power-run formation. McCoy made a presnap gesture, and suddenly, Cleveland split four wide. Then, as New England scrambled to cover the quartet of receivers, McCoy went straight ahead for the QB sneak and the first down.

The second: Midway through the second quarter after the Patriots had pulled to within three points, the entire offensive line, minus the center, stood as McCoy hiked the ball. Unbeknownst to New England, Chansi Stuckey was hiding behind right guard Billy Yates.

After the snap, McCoy faked to Joshua Cribbs on the end-around. Instead, he stuck the ball into Stuckey’s arms, and he dove for the pylon in the corner of the end zone for the 11-yard TD.

Meanwhile, the Patriots run game (36 yards) has been irrelevant, and Tom Brady hasn’t looked sharp. New England has been a good second-half team this year, but the Patriots have some work to do to get back in this game.

And just because it’s a cool stat: McCoy is the only QB in NFL history to start his first three games against Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks. And how did that go for him? Respectable loss to Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger. A big win against New Orleans’ Drew Brees. And so far, so good vs. New England’s Brady.

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