Vikings Can Welcome New Quarterback Harshly
After facing a battle-tested future Hall of Famer on Sunday in the form of Aaron Rodgers for the Vikings, they’ll get the other end of the spectrum in London. It appears as though Kevin Stefanski and the Cleveland Browns are pulling the plug on Joe Flacco and pivoting to rookie Dillon Gabriel.
Dillon Gabriel is set to take over at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, and the Minnesota Vikings can give him a rude welcome in London.
It would be the NFL debut for the third-round pick out of Oregon. Gabriel was a surprise selection in the draft with Shedeur Sanders (who the Browns also drafted, in the fifth round) among others still on the board. He was wildly successful in his one year with the Ducks, but a poor man’s version of Tua Tagovailoa at the next level seems to be a fair comp.
Dillon Gabriel Enters NFL … Against the Vikings
Last weekend, Brian Flores allowed Aaron Rodgers to pick apart his defense. The Steelers quarterback was 18-of-22 for 200 yards and a touchdown. Kenneth Gainwell, a backup running back, also compiled 99 yards and a pair of touchdowns. To say it was a bad showing for the Vikings’ defense would be putting it lightly.
This is the second-straight year that Minnesota is playing a game in London at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Last season, they beat the New York Jets (and coincidentally, Aaron Rodgers). This time around, Flores has the opportunity to prepare his defense to give Gabriel a rude welcome to the league.
Of course, Gabriel is more fleet of foot than either Rodgers or Flacco, but he’s not just a running quarterback. He looks to get the ball out of his hands quickly, and his arm strength limitations often have the passes coming closer to the line of scrimmage. That’s a situation that should help Minnesota’s secondary thrive, and will challenge the Vikings’ pass rush to get to the quarterback.
This season, Cleveland has very little to offer in terms of skill position players in the passing game. Jerry Jeudy had a breakout 2024 season but has been relatively quiet through the first four weeks this year. Outside of tight end David Njoku, there isn’t anyone notable to key in on through the air.
If the Vikings can calm their running game woes and keep rookie Quinshon Judkins under wraps, forcing the game onto Gabriel’s arm will put the Browns in a position they don’t want to be. Cleveland is just 1-3 this season, but shocked the 2-1-1 Packers just a couple of weeks ago. Minnesota is favored by the same 3.5 points they were against Pittsburgh, but they can’t wind up on the wrong side of the ledger this time around.
You must be logged in to post a comment.