Dillon Gabriel did not show any emotion following the Cleveland Browns‘ 31-6 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins, which marked the first victory of his NFL career.
Gabriel didn’t have to do much in the sloppy conditions. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 116 yards. He was fortunate on a few passes, including an interception that was called back due to a pass interference penalty.
After the game, Gabriel’s demeanor was noticeably muted for someone who had just secured his first career win. He explained that his focus wasn’t on celebrating the moment, but on what comes next for the team and himself.
“I don’t want you to look at my expression and think I’m not excited. I am excited. But it’s important to build sustainability as well. Just going to build on that,” Gabriel said. “There’s a lot we will look back that is good in many areas and a lot of things you want to clean up. That’s what I’m excited about most. Guys are eager, guys want to be better. When you look at the areas of improvement, it’s encouraging. But winning is fun. Don’t get that twisted.”
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel: ‘I Try Not to Make it About Myself’
Gabriel — who insisted he was not an entertainer in the preseason — kept the focus on the team.
“I try not to make it about myself. It’s just about the team and us finding a way to win, coming together,” Gabriel said. “That’s what is most important. Winning is fun. Your attention to detail has to be at a high level to continue to do this.”
Gabriel did not use the rough conditions as an excuse for his lack of production. But head coach Kevin Stefanski was pleased with his rookie passer for his turnover-free play through three games.
“The first half, especially, was some hard conditions for both sides,” Stefanski said. “We were plus-four today. I don’t think we’ve turned it over the last three weeks and that’s a recipe for winning football.”
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Focused on Details
The Browns still have plenty of work to do through the air, but on Sunday, their defense and run game carried the load. Cleveland forced four turnovers and leaned on a steady ground attack to secure a much-needed win after a turbulent week that followed the loss to Pittsburgh. Despite outside noise about the team’s direction, Gabriel said the Browns stayed focused on finding ways to win.
“I don’t know if anything was swirling around. On our end, we just continue to fight and claw and scratch to be a good football team. It’s little plays here and there that add up,” Gabriel said. “The attention to detail has to be at an all-time high. We understand that. But it does feel good to see the defense do what they do, our run game continuing to take strides, and special teams making plays as well.”
After having just 12 touches a week ago, running back Quinshon Judkins had 25 carries for 84 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Two of his three touchdowns came on direct wildcat snaps inside the 10-yard line.
“It’s something that we worked very hard on to make sure that we got (Quinshon) to the second level as much as we could,” Stefanski said. “If you block it up well for Quinshon, he’s going to make a lot of yards.”
The Browns head to New England next week to take on the Patriots.
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Offers Muted Reaction to Blowout Week 7 Win