In Dillon Gabriel's first career start, the Browns were in a position to get the victory overseas despite the offense still struggling to consistently find explosive plays. After scoring a touchdown halfway through the third to take a 17-14 lead, the Browns only gained one first drive on their final four drives with the lead.
Despite that, the defense had needed one more stop as the Vikings took over on their own 20 with just over three minutes left. If nothing else, the defense would at least have pushed the game to overtime if they were able to hold Minnesota to a field goal. Instead, the Vikings drove all the way down the field, and Jordan Addison scored the game-winning touchdown with little time left.
Jim Schwartz gives relatable reaction to Vikings game-winning TD
On Thursday, Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz gave a reaction to that final drive that is relatable to all Browns fans. Schwartz has been sick to his stomach since that game ended because his defense wasn't able to get one more stop and win the game for their team.
"I don’t think I’ve been able to keep any food down since we gave up that touchdown. … We just needed one play and we failed to get it done."Browns DC Jim Schwartz
While it's undeniable that the offense didn't do much to help them out late in the game, playcalling was clearly a bit conservative to make sure the defense was in the best position possible to close the game. It would have been much easier to put the game away with the offense, but if you told anyone who follows the Browns that they had one drive against Carson Wentz up three and needed a stop to win or a field goal to force overtime, every single one would sign up for it.
Going forward, it would be nice to get more truly complementary football where the offense can help out the defense beyond just keeping them out of bad situations. It's entirely understandable why they leaned on the defense in a rookie's first start against a tough defense, but the Browns are going to need the offense to pick up some slack soon.