Browns 31, Dolphins 6

In a season like this one, you take bright spots or wins any way you can get them. Yes, the Browns beat another awful team in the Dolphins. But wins have been so rare in Cleveland the last couple of years, that I celebrate them no matter who we beat to get them!

How'd Cleveland get the job done at home against Miami, and "squish the fish" on the shores of Lake Erie? Let's take a look at the Keys to Victory!

The Quinshon Judkins Show!

I remember how I felt a few months ago when Quinshon Judkins was in legal trouble before ever playing a snap as a Brown. All I could do was shake my head and roll my eyes. But ever since working his way back, "Q" has shown why Cleveland was wise to draft him at 36th overall out of Ohio State.

He's shown flashes of brilliance throughout the season despite the team's rough 2-5 start. But today may have been the breakout game of his rookie season. He was a grinder today, carrying the rock 25 times for 84 yards and three touchdowns, including a beautiful 46-yard touchdown burst that set the tone early on and helped the Browns make a statement in this one!

Yes, he only averaged 3.4 yards per carry, and the Browns only averaged 3.2 yards per rush as a team. The Browns probably need to consistently get at least four or five yards per carry to start being a threat on the ground like they used to be. But after not having much of a running game this year, it's nice to see some kind of explosiveness in that department!

It was also nice to see Cleveland score more than 20 points for the first time this season, and Q had a big hand in that!

The next Key to Victory wasn't quite as pretty or flashy for Cleveland. But it still mattered, considering the Browns have been DESPERATE for even average quarterback play all year.

Gabriel the Game Manager

Was he great? No. But the Browns still find themselves in a spot where they don't have a long-term answer at quarterback. And until they do, they need to hope for a quarterback who doesn't make mistakes.

For today, that's exactly what they got out of Dillon Gabriel. He was efficient with the ball, going 13-18 for 116 yards passing, and rarely put his team in bad situations, as he got his first win as the Browns' starting quarterback!

I know fans probably don't want to hear this, but unless Cleveland finds a franchise QB in next year's Draft or in '27, they might be riding with Gabriel for a little while. Although with the way the third and final Key to Victory was playing? I think even I could've had a great day under center out there, since they completely shut Miami down!

The Dawg Defense is Back!

I still think Kevin Stefanski and the Browns are asking WAY too much out of Myles Garrett and Co. this season, since the offense was anemic until today. But I will never trash our defense when they're in a situation like this unit is. They're expected to show up big for Cleveland to have any realistic shot at winning games, and today they finally broke through and probably had their best game of the season!

Yes, Miami is awful. But even so, the Browns still need to dominate fellow bad teams to start trying to make a climb back to respectability, and this defense made sure they did just that!

Cleveland held Miami to just 219 yards of total offense, sacked Tua Tagovailoa four times, and picked him off three times. They also had a fumble recovery on the day for good measure. Hopefully a game like this will reenergize not just the defense, but the entire Browns team as they go through the rest of the season!

For as bad as this season has been, the Browns have climbed out of the AFC North cellar for the time being, and pushed the Ravens into the basement.

The division is all out of whack right now. Pittsburgh leads it at 4-2, with the Bengals currently sitting in second place at 3-4, the Browns inch closer at 2-5 and Baltimore sits at 1-5, and is currently off this week with a bye week.

I still think this season could very well be lost for the Browns. Teams just don't start 1-5 and have a miraculous turnaround very often. But Cleveland has upcoming games against the Patriots, Jets, Ravens and Raiders in the next four games.

Time will tell if the Browns will be able to put some sort of winning streak together. But if they can take this win and build on it, they could have a chance to win at least three of the next four games. The only team that has a winning record over that stretch is New England at 5-2. The others have bad records. And if Cleveland wants to mount some kind of turnaround, they have to turn in games like they had today: Solid, steady running game, decent quarterback play, and swarming defense.

But for today, the Browns get the job done at home! Enjoy the second Victory Monday of the season tomorrow, Dawg Pound!

GO BROWNS!!!

Statistical Leaders

Dillon Gabriel: 13-18, 116 yards

Quinshon Judkins: 25 carries, 84 yards, 3 TDs.

Harold Fannin Jr., 4 catches, 36 yards

Sources

ESPN

NFL YouTube channel

Picture Credit

lineups.com