The Browns didn’t exactly need a statement in a preseason finale, but they got one anyway. Cleveland rolled past New England 37-13 on a day when Dillon Gabriel handled the early work efficiently, Taylen Green flashed his legs, and the Browns kept stacking production against the Patriots.
Gabriel set the tone right away. On Cleveland’s opening possession, he guided an opening-drive touchdown and capped it with a playaction throw to Luke Floriea, who stayed in bounds along the boundary for a 6-yard score and a 7-0 Browns lead. New England answered quickly when Tommy DeVito hit Kyle Williams down the left sideline for a 45-yard touchdown, with D’Angelo Ross appearing to lose track of the ball, and the game was tied at 7-7.
That didn’t last long. Gabriel kept moving the offense, connecting with Gage Larvadain for 21 yards and Ben Patterson for 19 before finding Floriea again on 2nd-and-6 from the 14.
This time it was a 14-yard touchdown, and Cleveland was back in front 14-7. After the Patriots went three-and-out, Gabriel rolled left and hit Patterson in stride for a 52-yard catch-and-run that helped set up a 35-yard field goal from Andre Szmyt and a 17-7 Browns advantage.
The first-quarter turnover came from the other side of the ball. Behren Morton entered for New England and, on his first pass, tried to hit a tight end who was blocking. The ball hit the back of the tight end’s leg, popped up, and Easton Mascarenas-Arnold tipped it into the air before coming down with the interception.
Cleveland kept the pressure on in the second quarter even after Gabriel’s first three-and-out of the day. Szmyt drilled a 47-yard field goal to push the lead to 20-7. Morton then led a long 14-play drive, but Khordae Sydnor picked up his third sack of the preseason in the red zone, forcing the Patriots into a 26-yard field goal to make it 20-10.
Gabriel answered again. He moved the Browns down the field and nearly set up a hat trick for Floriea on what was initially ruled a 16-yard touchdown, but replay showed the throw was low and just touched the ground for an incompletion. A few plays later, Gabriel found Ahmani Marshall for a 7-yard touchdown and a 27-10 lead.
New England had one more chance before halftime, and Donovan McMillian appeared to grab an interception after the two-minute warning, only for the official to throw a flag for pass interference. Replays showed it was a bad call and the interception should have counted. Even so, Cleveland’s defense held firm and limited the Patriots to a 33-yard field goal, sending the Browns into halftime up 27-13.
The third quarter belonged to Green’s legs. New England opened the half but only reached midfield before punting, and Larvadain sent that kick back to the 2-yard line to set up Green’s first drive.
His first real chance came on 3rd-and-long, where his scramble came up short of the marker. After another Browns punt and another New England punt, Cleveland started again at the 2-yard line.
That’s when Green started showing off, spinning around in his own end zone before breaking loose for 30 yards. Mixed with short completions, that drive moved the Browns deep into scoring range by the end of the quarter.
Davon Booth finished the job early in the fourth. He took a handoff, spun away from a defender, and walked into the end zone on an 8-yard touchdown to make it 34-13. Green’s next drive pushed Cleveland back into New England territory, though it ended with his first incompletion, a third-down pass that sailed over the receiver and forced a punt.
The Patriots tried to be aggressive on 4th-and-2 in their own territory, but Morton was intercepted by Justin Jefferson, who returned it to the 12-yard line.
Now the Browns turn to the roster cutdown. Next comes the move to 53 players and the build toward the regular season.
In Other News...
Browns Just Sent A Strong Message In Final Roster Crunch
The Browns 37-13 preseason win over New England did more than pad an August box score. It gave Cleveland one more reminder that the roster it is carrying into the season has started to look deeper and more organized than the one across the field, especially when the game shifted into the kinds of snaps where fringe players are fighting for jobs.
Mike Vrabel came away pointing to the Patriots depth and coverage issues, with the secondary drawing particular concern as the regular season gets closer. For the Browns, the takeaway is less about style points than confidence in the final roster crunch, where every clean series and every reliable reserve matters when cuts and roles are being sorted out. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Just Made Their Quarterback Problem Even Tougher To Solve
The Browns left their preseason finale with a quarterback room that suddenly looks more crowded than clarified. Deshaun Watson is still in the mix, but Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green both turned in promising showings, giving Cleveland more to weigh as it sorts through four passers for a roster that is expected to shrink before the regular season.
Shedeur Sanders is also part of the equation, which only adds to the difficulty of a decision that already carries obvious long-term implications. Cleveland now has to decide which three quarterbacks fit best, and with Gabriel and Green making their case, the final cut may say as much about the Browns future as it does about their immediate plans. [Read more 🡒]
Browns Still Face Two Tough Roster Calls After Strong Preseason Showings
With the August 30 roster deadline closing in, the Browns are moving from preseason evaluation to the hard part: trimming the roster to 53 before the regular season opener on September 13. A handful of names are already viewed as safe, including Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders, but the final decisions are starting to sharpen around the spots that always get squeezed in late August.
Wide receiver and quarterback are the two areas drawing the most attention, with Gage Larvadain and Cedric Tillman among the players speculated to be on the bubble. Dillon Gabriel has also put together a strong preseason, but he still appears likely to be the odd man out as the third quarterback. For Cleveland, the remaining decisions are less about whether there is talent in the room and more about which promising performances can survive the numbers game. [Read more 🡒]