Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (8) passes below stress from Pittsburgh Steelers exterior linebacker T.J. Watt (90) and linebacker Alex Highsmith (56) in the second half of an NFL soccer sport in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
PITTSBURGH — Making his second begin, Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel acquired harassed by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Gabriel handed for 221 yards however couldn’t lead the league’s second-lowest scoring offense to the top zone throughout a 23-9 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday.
“He’s a tough kid,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski mentioned. “We have to keep him clean. Obviously, when the game turns into what it was, you have to drop back and that’s a tough team to drop back against. But he kept battling.”
Pittsburgh completed with six sacks and hit Gabriel 16 extra occasions. The Browns (1-5) failed to rating 17 factors in their eleventh straight sport courting to final season as they misplaced their twenty second consecutive regular-season sport at Pittsburgh.
“We have to get it fixed,” Stefanski mentioned. “Before you start winning, you have to stop losing and we’re definitely doing some things that are preventing us from winning.”
A 3rd-round choose, Gabriel made his debut begin final week in opposition to Minnesota in London. He turned the fourth Browns rookie to throw for a number of scores in his first begin, tossing two TD passes in a decent 21-17 loss.
Against Pittsburgh, one of many league’s most skilled defenses, Gabriel didn’t commit a turnover, however he was compelled to throw 52 occasions. The Browns transformed simply six third downs and their longest play was a 24-yard completion to Harold Fannin Jr. whereas they had been scrambling to rating in the ultimate two minutes.
“At a certain point in the game, we were trying to catch up and be more aggressive, so we were kind of different (as an offense) in that end,” Gabriel mentioned. “But early on, we tried to get it going and take our chances when we could.”
Cleveland traded quarterback Joe Flacco to Cincinnati this week. The 18-year veteran began Cleveland’s first 4 video games earlier than he was benched in favor of Gabriel.
High-profile fifth-round choose Shedeur Sanders backed up Gabriel on Sunday, that means the Browns confronted the Steelers with two rookie quarterbacks. Pittsburgh improved to 52-15 in opposition to first-year QBs since 1970, together with 28-4 at dwelling.
Sanders had been Cleveland’s emergency quarterback — and inactive on sport days — for his first 5 video games. Stefanski mentioned he by no means thought of pulling Gabriel for Sanders on Sunday.
“It wasn’t a lack of effort by (Gabriel) or anybody,” Stefanski mentioned. “He made some plays. We just have to be better.”
The Browns had simply 34 yards of offense earlier than a half-ending 16-play, 72-yard drive that completed with Andre Szmyt’s 31-yard area aim. On that drive, the Browns picked up seven first downs, together with a pair of third-down conversions.
Gabriel answered a Pittsburgh landing drive in the third quarter with one other area aim. He was victimized by a pair of drops, together with a one on third down in the crimson zone, and Nick Herbig practically picked off a go in the flat. Szmyt transformed from 53 yards to pull the Browns inside 16-6.
Gabriel took the Browns on a 18-play, 54-yard drive after one other Steelers landing, ensuing in one other area aim.
The Browns had first-and-goal from the 5, and on second down, Gabriel’s go hit Isaiah Bond in the helmet when he wasn’t searching for the ball. Following a pass-interference penalty, the Browns had first-and-goal from the three, however a sack by Herbig stalled the sequence. Earlier in the drive, Gabriel missed an open Jerry Jeudy on a possible landing, throwing it out of bounds and simply out of attain.
“Nobody in the building likes this feeling,” Gabriel mentioned. “The good part is that there’s a lot to learn and grow from. I think we’ll have a lot of things to look at and address.”