What the Browns QB Switch Means for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings set sail across the Irish Sea, swap Dublin for London, and have a Week 5 clash with the Cleveland Browns, which promises to be an important game for both teams. A change at quarterback had been rumoured following Cleveland’s latest loss on Sunday. Confirmation came on Wednesday that Kevin Stefanski had decided to turn to rookie Dillon Gabriel.
VikingsTerritory looks at what the Browns QB switch means for the Vikings in this Sunday’s game.
Cleveland drafted not one, but two QBs in this year’s draft. They took Gabriel in the third round and Shedeur Sanders in the fifth. Sitting with a 1-3 record and in danger of wasting another season of their very talented defense, the calls came out of Ohio that it’s time to move 40-year-old Joe Flacco aside and turn the keys over to the young QB. The Browns have answered the call.
Cleveland has only managed 54 points across four games, averaging 13.5 points per game, and that simply isn’t enough. Their defense kept them in the games against the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers, even managing a 13-10 win over the Packers. In the other two games, the defense struggled to stop the Browns’ running game, resulting in heavy defeats against the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions.
Veteran QBs have been the ones who have caused problems for Flores and his defense, but not so Flacco, who squared off against the Vikings last season when he was with the Baltimore Ravens, not the Indianapolis Colts. After the Colts took the lead thanks to a recovery and score on a Sam Darnold fumble, the Vikings emerged as comfortable winners by 21-13. Flaccid threw for 179 yards and an interception.
What Difference Does Browns QB Dillong Gabriel Make?
Understandably, the Browns are looking for a spark for their offense, but if I were Cleveland, I would have been guarded against that time being against Brian Flores’ Minnesota defense. Flores has put rookie and inexperienced QBs in a torture rack whenever he’s played against them since becoming the Vikings’ defensive coordinator.
With the prospect of facing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ defense next week not any easier, the potential of being 1-5 by the time they play the Miami Dolphins in Week 7 is a possibility. The Browns perhaps felt compelled to make the move before the season got away from them.
The rookie is certainly going to be more mobile than Flacco and has the ability and athleticism to make plays out of structure, but it will take more than that to provide the spark that Cleveland needs against this Vikings defense. Gabriel is the most experienced college QB of all time with 64 games across six seasons.
He played for three different teams, but it was his one year in Oregon that saw his draft stock rise, ultimately landing him a spot in Cleveland in the third round. Gabriel’s strengths coming out of college were his pocket presence, quick decision-making, and accuracy in the quick-passing game. The ingredients that can work against Flores’ defense, but can he put that on display on his pro debut?
Browns Should Lean on Quinshon Judkins
If Cleveland is to have success on offense in this game, it is most likely to come from another rookie. Second-round running back Quinshon Judkins appears to be getting into his groove, rushing for over 80 yards and a touchdown in his last two games.
While the Vikings’ passing defense has been among the best in the league, allowing just an average of 151.5 passing yards per game and a total of three passing touchdowns. Minnesota’s defense has had problems defending the run this season, and it ranks in the lower echelons of the league for rushing yards and TDs allowed.
It was the primary reason they lost to the Atlanta Falcons and a big reason they lost to the Steelers. The Browns will hope to repeat that recipe for success with Judkins leading the way, with Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson backing him up.
If they can do that and not ask Gabriel to do much, they will have a chance to win. From a Vikings perspective, if they can slow the Browns’ run game and get pressure on Gabriel, that should help their banged-up offense, which is relying on their backup QB, missing three starters on the offensive line, and has doubts over the backup center.
It could be a low-scoring game in London this week, and Minnesota’s ability to pressure the quarterback and give their offense advantageous field position, or even put points on the board, will be crucial.
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