2 Things 'Bout the Browns
1. Set to start: Dillon Gabriel
A historical trip for Minnesota features another historical moment for Cleveland.
In benching Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco and passing the baton to Gabriel, the Browns third-round rookie will become the first NFL quarterback, ever, to make his first career start in an international game.
Overall, rookies boast a 4-7 record in starts on foreign soil.
O'Connell said he watched Gabriel quite a bit in college. In six seasons with three different schools (Central Florida, Oklahoma and Oregon), Gabriel produced video-game numbers, including an all-time FBS record 155 passing touchdowns (Gabriel actually tied former Viking and Brown Case Keenum, who had as many in college from 2007-11 and started in Minnesota's win over Cleveland in London in 2017).
Gabriel led each program to a season of 10-plus wins and finished third in the 2024 Heisman Trophy race, accounting for 4,006 yards of offense and 37 total touchdowns under center for the 13-1 Ducks.
Gabriel is Cleveland's 41st starting QB and 13th rookie starting QB since 1999.
"The one thing that jumped out at me was he was always in command," O'Connell said.
The Vikings coach described Gabriel as a "very decisive, accurate thrower" with "way-above-the-line athleticism" that he expects Cleveland to utilize by moving the pocket and getting him to the perimeter.
"Kevin [Stefanski has] always been a really good marriage-of-the-run-and-the-pass kind of guy from a keeper standpoint, play-pass standpoint. Then they've got a bunch of weapons to go along with a really good run game," O'Connell detailed. "So regardless of who was playing quarterback, that was going to be the challenge. But Dylan brings a level of mobility and athleticism that I think we've got to account for."
Flores, by the way, is 5-0 facing a rookie quarterback as the Vikings defensive coordinator.
One last thought: Another Browns rookie, second-round RB Quinshon Judkins, is up to 281 scrimmage yards and two TDs in three games after missing the entire offseason. He's responsible for 69.9 percent of Cleveland's rush yards (3rd-most in the NFL) and is averaging 4.18 yards after contact, according to Pro Football Focus; that's second to David Montgomery (4.26) among players with at least 40 rush attempts.