“It’s just part of it. There’s entertainers and there’s competitors, and I totally understand that, and my job is to compete, and that’s what I’m totally focused on doing,” Dillon Gabriel said while being interviewed by Aditi Kinkhabwala on the sidelines of Saturday's game.
The talk didn’t match the tape. Gabriel went 13-of-18 for 144 yards with two turnovers, a pick-six, and a botched exchange in Cleveland’s win over the Eagles.
The one touchdown drive was more about the offensive line taking over that series than anything Gabriel created.
This looked like what you’d expect from a smaller quarterback fighting sightlines. He threw it fine and in rhythm, but it was obvious he struggled to see over his own linemen, and the two turnovers directly turned into points the other way. That’s equally as bad as missing throws.
Yet Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com called it a “solid showing aside from 2 turnovers.”
That’s exactly the kind of line you use when you’re forced to find something positive.
Here’s the side-by-side that matters, posted by Scott Procter’s X account.
“Shedeur Sanders’ first preseason start vs. Dillon Gabriel’s
SS:
61% (14/23)
157 total yards
2 TDs
0 INTs
2 sacks
Led 3 TD drives
DG:
72% (13/18)
144 total yards
0 TDs
1 INT (pick-six)
2 sacks
1 fumble lost
Led 1 TD drive”
So how are two turnovers “solid,” but two touchdowns on three scoring drives somehow not good enough? That's the real question after Gabriel’s comment and performance.