CLEVELAND, Ohio — In my best Michael Caine impression:
Alright, the bloody Browns suffered a 21-17 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday in London, but that’s just what the scoreboard said. Here are the real winners and losers from the game:
Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison (3) catches the winning pass in the second half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. (Adam Bettcher/AP Content Services for the NFL)APLoser: Finishing
Another Cleveland letdown in the final minutes to examine. But here’s the twist: It was a defensive letdown.
That wasn’t on my Week 5 bingo card.
The Browns defense had a pretty good performance before Minnesota’s final series, keeping Carson Wentz and the offense contained and scoreless since the early part of the third quarter.
Then came the two-minute drill.
The defense that had done the suffocating all day, suddenly was suffocating itself when it mattered most.
Carson Schwesinger played under for a little too long, allowing a T.J. Hockenson 14-yarder. Denzel Ward’s tight coverage wasn’t enough to stop Justin Jefferson’s 21-yard catch.
Shorter gains kept Minnesota afloat into the red zone, then came the final play:
It appeared Ward was trying to bait Carson Wentz to throw to Jordan Addison and was slow getting to his zone, because by the time he did, Addison had caught the winning touchdown pass.
Addison hadn’t even played the opening quarter due to a disciplinary measure.
Ward spoke on what happened after the loss, and took full responsibility for the play.
“Yeah, we were in Cover 2 and I’ve got to reroute the guy inside and not put it so wide for the safety,” Ward said. “So I take full accountability for that. And yeah, just got to finish and execute better once it gets down to the last seconds.”
You can’t claim to be the best if you don’t play until the end like it.
It had been nearly a season and a half since Wentz last led a game-winning drive, the last one coming in the 2023 season finale.
That dry streak ended thanks to Cleveland’s defense failing to finish.
Winner: Quinshon Judkins
The rookie continues to be the one shining component of this offense.
Twenty-three carries for 110 rushing yards. Forty-eight of that came in the first quarter, including the 32-yarder that placed Cleveland in the red zone ahead of its first score.
Judkins versus Minnesota’s defense was no different than a bullfight, but instead of two long horns and a matador, it was his helmet and anyone wearing purple.
It didn’t count because of penalties, but that 56-yard run was a thing of beauty toward the end of the first quarter, the way he anticipated Minnesota’s defense, saw an opening and burst through.
Cleveland Browns Quinshon Judkins races to the end zone to score a touchdown that was called back during the first half of the NFL game between Minnesota Vikings and Cleveland Browns at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium in London, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2025. Kirsty Wigglesworth, AP
The one question in regard to his performance, however, pertains to Stefanski’s use of him in the second quarter.
Judkins had one carry in the second quarter for a 3-yard gain.
Cleveland recorded three consecutive punts in that quarter, and though it featured a field goal, the road to setting that up could’ve been easier with more use of Judkins.
It’s one thing to want the pass game to get going and spread the field. It’s another to keep a hungry dog in your backfield starving for carries.
Winner: Trickery
Minnesota’s first touchdown was sorcery.
The direct snap from Cam Akers forced all eyes from Cleveland’s defense on him, as the Browns assumed he’d run.
Akers then moved a little to the right, buying enough time to find an open Josh Oliver, before delivering the dime to Oliver for the 32-yard score to tie it up 7-all and give Akers his first career passing touchdown.
It was a blown assignment by the Browns’ back seven. Nonetheless, it was a good call by the Vikings. A stunned Browns defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was even caught on camera.
Winner: Ball protection
Wouldn’t you know? The Browns ended Sunday without a single turnover, an eye-opener after they entered Week 5 in a four-way tie for first place in total giveaways (eight).
Dillon Gabriel did well keeping the ball out of danger.
Even on his couple scrambles out of the pocket, Gabriel held the ball with all his might when inviting contact.
This marks Cleveland’s first time ending a game with no turnovers since Week 11 of 2024.
Winner: Punches
Not those kinds of punches, but the good ones on the football when a ball carrier is heading upfield.
Cleveland’s defense continues to improve in takeaways, forcing two fumbles on Sunday.
An early one was thanks to Alex Wright and Greg Newsome II tackling Jordan Mason and forcing the ball out, which Grant Delpit recovered.
The second came early in the fourth quarter, with Isaiah McGuire and Shelby Harris tackling Zavier Scott and popping the ball out.
Loser: Continuing history
Gabriel’s first start should’ve come with a win.
He had a solid showing with 190 yards on a 57.6% completion rate, and accounted for Cleveland’s two touchdowns with passes.
He should’ve been the first quarterback to win in his Browns debut since the franchise rejoined the NFL in 1999.
Instead, the little things prevented that from happening.
Because of this, Browns’ quarterbacks are 0-17 in their first career starts since the team rejoined the NFL, per NFLonCBS.
That’s the longest such streak since 1950 when QB starts were first recorded, according to ESPN Research.
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