The Cleveland Browns entered Week 5 with a chip on their shoulder. Attempting to turn the tide of their season, the organization chose to bench veteran quarterback Joe Flacco and roll with 2025 third-round pick Dillon Gabriel. Through nearly 60 minutes of Sunday morning's London-based matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, all was well.
Gabriel, looking poised in the pocket, threw for two touchdowns and an efficient 94.3 rating against one of the league's most aggressive defenses. The left-hander became the first Browns quarterback to throw for multiple touchdowns and zero interceptions in an NFL debut since 2008. His performance was setting up for a potential turning point in the Browns' season.
However, the Carson Wentz-led Vikings had other plans, and Cleveland lost in heartbreaking fashion. With that in mind, who are the parties most responsible for the Browns' late-game failure?
Kevin Stefanski
Up 17-14 in the fourth quarter, the Browns had a chance to extend their lead or, at worst, milk the clock. Instead, Cleveland failed to score on four consecutive drives, but that is not the worst part. Head coach Kevin Stefanski chose to run the football a total of eight times for a measly 30 yards and wasted just 6:38 off the clock.
The offense failed to reach Minnesota territory on three of the four drives. The one time Cleveland passed midfield, the drive stalled after a short run by rookie Quinshon Judkins and a head-scratching deep shot to Jerry Jeudy from Minnesota's 42-yard line.
Cleveland's defense maintained the lead down the stretch, setting up Stefanski's offense with one final drive to put the game away. The head coach once again chose to put the ball in Judkins' hands, despite the team's rushing attack being stymied the entire fourth quarter.
The Vikings' defense forced a three-and-out after limiting Judkins to no gain on back-to-back attempts. The drive lasted 22 seconds, and Cleveland gained negative-one yard. It was the fourth consecutive drive that ended in a punt, which effectively handed the game over to Minnesota.
Maybe there is room to blame the execution rather than the play-calling, but to watch Stefanski's offense gain 29 total yards in four drives in unforgivable — especially since the Vikings missed a field goal and fumbled near midfield.
Browns offensive line
The Browns' offensive line also deserves blame for its failure to put the game away. Cleveland was dominating the Vikings on the ground through three quarters — a large reason being the holes the offensive line was opening up for Judkins and Jerome Ford.
That quickly changed in the fourth quarter. The stats have already been detailed, but to average 3.6 yards per carry in the final quarter is unacceptable.
In addition, offensive tackle KT Leveston was penalized for offensive holding on Cleveland's 41-yard line on a drive that eventually ended on Minnesota's 42-yard line. Imagine what an extra 10 yards could have done for the Browns' chances? The penalty was Leveston's third penalty of the game for a total of 25 yards.
Browns secondary
The Browns' defense played well until the final drive. They forced two turnovers and continually gave the offense a chance to secure the win. But all their good work was undone in less than three minutes, thanks to Wentz's heroics with less than four minutes remaining in the game.
Replacing 2024 first-round pick JJ McCarthy, Wentz fits the bill as a placeholder under center. Unfortunately for the Browns, Wentz decided to turn back the clock and put together one final drive reminiscent of a 2018 pre-injury nostalgia run.
Marching 80 yards in the span of 10 plays, Wentz and the Vikings bled the clock down from 3:05 remaining with a two-minute, 40-second game-winning drive. The former first-round pick completed all of his nine attempts for 71 yards, including the go-ahead 12-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jordan Addison. According to NFL Gen Stats, the Vikings had an 18% chance of winning while trailing 17-14 with 3:27 remaining in the fourth quarter — icing on the cake to the Browns' last-minute collapse.
Final thoughts
The loss drops the Cleveland Browns to a 1-4 record and will keep them in the cellar of the AFC North for one more week. It also spoils Dillon Gabriel's impressive debut. It is hard to come to grips with a loss like this, knowing how many opportunities the Browns had to put the Vikings away.
The main culprit is Kevin Stefanski, considering he was steering the sinking ship and is responsible for the lack of offensive success down the stretch. The team needed him to draw up one play, and he no-showed in the fourth quarter.
