It shouldn't come as a shock that the Cleveland Browns are 2-5 through the first seven weeks of the season. The defensive line is very good, yes, and Denzel Ward is still one of the premier cornerbacks in football, but the offense is nothing short of abysmal.
Going into the preseason, Kevin Stefanski had four main options at quarterback upon finding out Deshaun Watson would be out for the year: Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dillon Gabriel, and Shedeur Sanders. Flacco was on the squad in 2024, Pickett was acquired from the Eagles in a trade, and Gabriel and Sanders were selected in the third and fifth rounds, respectively.
Pickett was traded before the season began, and Flacco was traded to the Bengals more recently. Gabriel was named the starter in early October, before their matchup against the Vikings.
Gabriel, a former Oregon Duck, has 411 yards and two touchdowns through two starts, but also has a dismal 57.3 completion percentage on the year. Against the Steelers, he completed just 29 of his 52 passes, leading the offense to just nine points against a division rival. The run game didn't help: Quinshon Judkins had just three yards a carry from his twelve attempts, while Jerome Ford and Dylan Sampson combined for 29 more.
Not only were the numbers bad for the Browns' offense, but the tape didn't offer much hope for the future.
This Browns tape is horrendous.
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 13, 2025
By the time Q3 rolls around, DBs were basically letting guys run free down the field in favor of jumping throws to the flat simply because they knew the ball wasn’t going down the field anyway.
20 of 25 Steelers pressures were under 2.5 seconds.
The Browns lack of an offense is great for the Patriots to continue their win streak
The Patriots' opponents from this past Sunday against the Saints, until they play the Browns on 10/26, have a combined three wins at this point in the season. For a team now 4-2, winning against tough opponents is the expectation, but the Browns' lack of a functional offense is especially concerning.
With Flacco gone, the team lacks a steady veteran presence at quarterback, and Gabriel isn't getting the job done.
Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis, and Marcus Jones may have some opportunities to stat pad with pass breakups, and they could even cause Gabriel's first career interception.
Tackling will also be at a premium given the offense's affinity for short throws and run-after-catch yardage. Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss will need to be at their best in moving sideline-to-sideline as well.
The Browns' pass catchers feature David Njoku and Harold Fannin as tight ends, the latter of whom leads the team in catches and yards. Jerry Jeudy is the WR1, and UDFA Isaiah Bond is the second option. Second-year players Jamari Thrash and Malachi Corley also feature.
The Browns are an uninspiring offense to say the least, and the stats reflect that: their 13.7 points per game is the worst in football, and their passing and rushing games rank 26th and 28th in the league, respectively. All in all, the Patriots shouldn't have much trouble with the Browns, and they should feel confident that they will come out of Foxborough on the 26th victorious.