Dawgs By Nature
The first half of the 2025 NFL season has gone about as expected for the Cleveland Browns.
That is to say, it has been like far too many seasons before it.
A combination of a tough schedule, an ineffective offense, and a defense that has a knack for coming up short at just the wrong time has the Browns sitting at 2-6.
The schedule eases up a bit in the second half of the season, starting with the one-win New York Jets in the first game following the bye week. Of course, everyone on the schedule is looking at the Browns and thinking the same thing, so there are no “easy games” for this squad.
While everyone takes a much-needed break this week, let’s run through a few “thumbs up/thumbs down” on the Browns after eight games.
There is not much left to say about Garrett, who continues on his journey to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He has 10 sacks, which ties him with Brian Burns of the New York Giants for the most in the league. Garrett now has 112.5 career sacks, which surpasses Reggie White for the most sacks by a player before he turns 30. He is also one of just three players, along with White and John Randle, as the only players in league history with 10-plus sacks in at least eight seasons.
Cleveland opened the season with veteran quarterback Joe Flacco, and it was bad. In four games with Flacco, the Browns averaged 14 points a game, while Flacco completed just 58.1 percent of his passes, averaged 4.55 yards per dropback, threw just two touchdowns, turned the ball over eight times (six interceptions and two fumbles), and posted a total QBR of 26.5.
After a 1-3 start with Flacco, the Browns turned to rookie Dillon Gabriel, and the situation has not improved. In four games with Gabriel, the Browns are averaging 17.5 points a game, and Gabriel is completing 59.4 percent of his passes, averaging 4.22 yards per dropback, has four touchdown passes and two interceptions, and has a total QBR of 25.9.
Flacco was bad. Gabriel has been just as bad. At some point, the Browns will decide to “see what they have” with rookie Shedeur Sanders, but there is little reason to believe it will make any difference.
Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins’ season got off to a slow start as he did not make his debut until Week 2, and that day, he rushed for just 19 yards. But since then, he has posted four games with more than 80 rushing yards, including his first 100-yard game. Judkins also has five rushing touchdowns, which is only one less than the Browns totaled in all of 2024.
Judkins has 486 rushing yards, ranking 14th in the NFL, and is tied for seventh in rushing touchdowns.
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