The Cleveland Browns' Week 10 loss to the New York Jets was somehow even worse than it initially seemed.
The Browns entered Week 10 with a 2-6 record and with their expectations already lowered to the floor. However, many fans expected them to beat the 1-7 Jets, who just traded away Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams the previous week.
Instead, Cleveland fell apart in an ugly 27-20 loss. To make matters worse, the Jets became the first team to win an NFL game since 1950 with 175 or fewer scrimmage yards, according to ESPN's Rick Cimini. Teams holding their opponents to 175 or fewer yards were previously 225-0, making the Browns the first to lose under those circumstances.
New York managed just 169 total yards in the game. Aaron Glenn waited until the last second to decide on a starting quarterback before settling on Justin Fields, who could only muster 54 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Without any production from the Jets' offense, their special teams won them the game. Kene Nwangwu returned a kickoff 99 yards to the house for the team's first score, minutes before Isaiah Williams took a punt 74 yards to the end zone for their second.
The Browns did not have the best offensive game either, managing just 278 scrimmage yards. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel had another inefficient outing, completing 17 of his 32 passes for just 167 passing yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. Gabriel finished with fewer than 200 passing yards for the fourth time in his five weeks as the starter.
Browns sticking with Dillon Gabriel despite Jets disaster
Frustrated Browns fans are desperate for a change, but it will not come in Week 11. Head coach Kevin Stefanski had to double down on his commitment to Gabriel after the loss yet again, saying that the third-round pick would remain in his starting lineup.
Cleveland has previously stated that it does not intend to play Shedeur Sanders much at all in 2025, despite constant public pressure. Instead, the organization wants a proper evaluation of Gabriel as a potential franchise quarterback.
The Browns still have nine more games to evaluate Gabriel, but the early returns have not been there. Cleveland is averaging just 262.6 total yards per game in Gabriel's five starts, going 1-4 in that frame.
If it does not come in 2025, there is no guarantee that Sanders will ever see the field for the Browns. Cleveland will likely have DeShaun Watson back in 2026, further muddying an already complicated quarterback situation.
