NFL game summary for 11/10/1974:
Greg Pruitt returned the opening kickoff 88 yards, the longest of the season in the AFC, and Thom Darden went 29 yards after recovering a fumble to give the Browns a running start against the Patriots in the first two minutes. After New England fought back to tie on two touchdowns by Sam Cunningham, a 25-yard punt return by Pruitt set up a winning four-yard run by Ken Brown. Cleveland had kicked an apparent tie-breaking field goal before Brown scored, but New England was offside and the Browns took the first down and went for the touchdown. Pruitt accounted for 196 yards overall and Darden had two interceptions.
Team stats coming into this game (NFL ranks in parentheses):
| Team | Rush Yds/Gm | Pass Yds/Gm | Tot Yds/Gm | Turnovers | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | OFFENSE | 151.4 (10) | 123.9 (23) | 275.2 (14) | 16 |
| DEFENSE | 154.6 (21) | 182.6 (22) | 337.2 (24) | 18 | |
 | OFFENSE | 172.4 (1) | 166.9 (9) | 339.2 (5) | 17 |
| DEFENSE | 109.1 (5) | 187.6 (23) | 296.8 (13) | 22 |
Line: Patriots by 11
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns (3-6-0) | 14 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| New England Patriots (6-3-0) | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
( 7- 0) CLE Greg Pruitt 88 yard kickoff return (Don Cockroft kick)
(14- 0) CLE Thom Darden 29 yard fumble return (Don Cockroft kick)
(14- 7) NE Sam Cunningham 1 yard rush (John Smith kick)
(14-14) NE Sam Cunningham 1 yard rush (John Smith kick)
(21-14) CLE Ken Brown 4 yard rush (Don Cockroft kick)
CLE NE
First Downs: 10 17
Rushes-yards: 34-100 45-164
Yards/rush: 2.9 3.6
Comp-Att-Yd-INT: 10-18-116-0 9-21-134-4
Sacked-yards: 3-33 2-11
Net pass yards: 83 123
Net yards/pass: 4.0 5.3
Total net yards: 183 287
Total plays: 55 (61% run) 68 (66% run)
Yards/play: 3.3 4.2
Fumbles-lost: 3-2 5-2
Turnovers: 2 6
Penalties-yards: 6-67 8-70
Attendance: 57,263
Passing:
CLE: Brian Sipe, 10 of 18 for 116 yards NE: Jim Plunkett, 9 of 21 for 134 yards (4 int)
Rushing:
CLE: Hugh McKinnis, 15 for 59 yards; Ken Brown, 10 for 23 yards and 1 TD; Greg Pruitt, 6 for 10 yards; Brian Sipe, 3 for 8 yards NE: Sam Cunningham, 20 for 75 yards and 2 TDs; Mack Herron, 18 for 61 yards; Jim Plunkett, 7 for 28 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 4 for 46 yards; Dave Sullivan, 2 for 26 yards; Hugh McKinnis, 2 for 16 yards; Milt Morin, 1 for 19 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 9 yards NE: Mack Herron, 4 for 42 yards; Randy Vataha, 2 for 40 yards; Reggie Rucker, 1 for 28 yards; Bob Adams, 1 for 18 yards; Sam Cunningham, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 1 for 88 yards and 1 TD; Billy Lefear, 1 for 32 yards NE: Mack Herron, 3 for 33 yards; Andy Johnson, 1 for 26 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Thom Darden, 3 for 14 yards; Greg Pruitt, 2 for 52 yards NE: Mack Herron, 6 for 80 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Thom Darden, 2 for 14 yards; Charlie Hall, 1 for 25 yards; Van Green, 1 for 20 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 8 for 338 yards NE: Bruce Barnes, 7 for 251 yards
Field Goals:
CLE: Brian Sipe, 10 of 18 for 116 yards NE: Jim Plunkett, 9 of 21 for 134 yards (4 int)
Rushing:
CLE: Hugh McKinnis, 15 for 59 yards; Ken Brown, 10 for 23 yards and 1 TD; Greg Pruitt, 6 for 10 yards; Brian Sipe, 3 for 8 yards NE: Sam Cunningham, 20 for 75 yards and 2 TDs; Mack Herron, 18 for 61 yards; Jim Plunkett, 7 for 28 yards
Receiving:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 4 for 46 yards; Dave Sullivan, 2 for 26 yards; Hugh McKinnis, 2 for 16 yards; Milt Morin, 1 for 19 yards; Ken Brown, 1 for 9 yards NE: Mack Herron, 4 for 42 yards; Randy Vataha, 2 for 40 yards; Reggie Rucker, 1 for 28 yards; Bob Adams, 1 for 18 yards; Sam Cunningham, 1 for 6 yards
Kick returns:
CLE: Greg Pruitt, 1 for 88 yards and 1 TD; Billy Lefear, 1 for 32 yards NE: Mack Herron, 3 for 33 yards; Andy Johnson, 1 for 26 yards
Punt returns:
CLE: Thom Darden, 3 for 14 yards; Greg Pruitt, 2 for 52 yards NE: Mack Herron, 6 for 80 yards
Interceptions:
CLE: Thom Darden, 2 for 14 yards; Charlie Hall, 1 for 25 yards; Van Green, 1 for 20 yards
Punting:
CLE: Don Cockroft, 8 for 338 yards NE: Bruce Barnes, 7 for 251 yards
Field Goals: