Sportsnaut
Facing the 1-7 New York Jets gave the 2-6 Cleveland Browns strong odds of increasing their low win total amidst a challenging season. Yet the Jets that showed up on Sunday were not the same team that lost their first seven games of the season.
Instead, we saw a Browns team that once again struggled to move the ball, even against a team that just traded away its two best All-Pro defenders. While Dillon Gabriel was still the game’s leading passer, as Justin Fields only completed 6-of-11 passes for 54 yards, the overall offensive production was ugly on both sides of the ball.
Gabriel completed just 17-of-32 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns while taking six sacks. His biggest contributions came while scrambling, where Gabriel carried the ball five times for 54 yards, including a 19-yard scamper.
Seeing as the Browns produced more rushing yardage (158) than they did passing (120), it’s no surprise that Cleveland’s head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked about his QB situation after the loss. Yet, the Browns’ coach didn’t hesitate to throw his support behind his starter.
“We’re gonna stick with Dillon,” Stefanski said. “Obviously, this is a young player, you’re always trying to get one game better and those types of things. We have to play better as an offense, we have to coach better, all of the above.”
Thus, barring a decision change later this week, Gabriel will be making his sixth NFL start on Sunday when the Browns face the Ravens for the second time this season. Joe Flacco started in Cleveland’s first matchup against Baltimore this year, leading to a 41-17 Ravens win.
Stefanski’s decision is sure to stir up controversy from those who want to see what fifth-round rookie Shedeur Sanders is capable of. Though, the Browns have more information than anyone on how both quarterbacks are performing in practice and how prepared they are for their role on a weekly basis.
Though, considering the results, the Browns don’t have much to lose by giving Sanders a chance to see what he can do too. After next week, Gabriel will have made six starts. A Week 12 QB change would still give Sanders a chance to start the final seven games of the season, which gives the Browns more than enough time to evaluate the QBs on their roster.
Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025: Week-by-Week NFL Evaluations of All 32 Teams
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