The Browns were unable to close out Dillon Gabriel's first NFL start against the Vikings in Week 5 despite having the lead for a large part of the second half. Gabriel threw his second touchdown of the day with a little time left in the third quarter to put Cleveland on top 17-14, but they only converted one first down on the next four drives despite the defense continuing to get off the field.
Despite the second-half offensive struggles after their first drive, the Browns were in a great spot to win the game with their defense on the field. Instead, they couldn't get a stop when the team needed them the most.
Browns defense comes up short when team needed them most in 4th quarter
Minnesota took over on its own 20-yard line with just over three minutes left in the game and down three points. Vikings left tackle Christian Darrisaw exited the game by this point as well, so Minnesota had four of five regular offensive line starters out. Based on how Cleveland looked for most of the second half outside of the first drive, it felt like they had a good chance to at least hold the Vikings to a field goal. Instead, Justin Jefferson made some great plays down the stretch, and Minnesota did a great job at getting the ball out quickly to try to neutralize the pass rush.
While the offense didn't do much of anything after scoring its second touchdown of the day, it was pretty clear that Kevin Stefanski has really shifted towards putting the onus on the defense to win them games over the offense, especially in Gabriel's first start. His playcalling down the stretch was quite conservative, and it's understandable why some wanted him to be more aggressive, but it's evident he was trying to put the defense in the best spot possible to give them a chance to close the game.
It's undeniable that failing to score 20 points regularly is not going to be a strong recipe to win games. The offense did have plenty of chances to put them away, but the defense did as well and couldn't when they were needed most. If the Browns want to turn this thing around, they're going to need to be able to put games away in all phases of the game, especially with the strength of their team, the defense.