Quarterback Dillon Gabriel made his first NFL start on Sunday, coming up just short as the Browns lost to the Vikings 21-17 at London's Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Overall, the rookie signal-caller turned in a respectable performance—especially considering he was facing off against one of the league's better defensive coordinators in Brian Flores.
After being stifled by Minnesota's defense on a four-play drive that resulted in a punt, the third-round pick led Cleveland to pay dirt on his second possession—orchestrating a seven-play, 47-yard drive that he capped with a touchdown pass to a fellow rookie in tight end Harold Fannin.
For full disclosure, Gabriel's lone completion on the drive was the score, and as was the case for much of Sunday’s contest, he benefited greatly from the Browns' dominant ground game.
a beauty of a drive!#MINvsCLE on NFL Network and NFL+ pic.twitter.com/dI3Vn8fzOG
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) October 5, 2025
Cleveland then punted on their next three possessions before marching on a 14-play marathon at the backend of the second quarter to enter halftime with a 10-7 lead.
Gabriel and the Browns' third and final scoring drive came on their first possession of the third quarter. Trailing 14-10 after Carson Wentz and the Vikings opened the second half with a score, the rookie answered with yet another long march—chewing 8:06 off the clock with a 13-play, 69-yard drive, that culminated in a nine-yard touchdown strike to tight end David Njoku.
Unfortunately, their three scores weren't enough as Wentz led Minnesota on a last-minute touchdown drive to secure a 21-17 win.
Head coach and offensive play caller Kevin Stefanski did his best to curate the offense to Gabriel's skillset, employing the 24-year-old to get the ball out quickly to his tight ends, while also moving the pocket to get the quarterback in space to find his wide receivers on the sideline. As for the aforementioned running game, rookie Quinshon Judkinds paced Cleveland with 23 carries for 110 yards (4.8 yards per carry), while as a whole, the unit rushed for 140 yards on 32 carries (4.4 YPC).
Dillon Gabriel Stats From Browns Loss to Vikings
In totality, Gabriel finished Sunday afternoon 19-for-33 passing for 190 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 94.3. He was also sacked twice and registered five rushing yards on two carries.
The Browns now sit at 1-4 on the 2025 season. Gabriel will look to get his first career win next Sunday when his team heads to Pittsburgh to take on the division rival Steelers from Acrisure Stadium.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dillon Gabriel’s First NFL Start: How Rookie QB Performed in Browns' Loss to Vikings.
