Browns’ Dillon Gabriel stuns Patriots with wild numbers before halftime

Dillon Gabriel was cooking in the first half of Thursday’s NFL preseason game between the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots at Huntington Bank Field in Cleveland.

The former Oregon Ducks star signal-caller was locked in during the first two quarters of the contest, going 12-for-15 for 186 passing yards with zero interceptions and no sacks taken. He also threw not just one, not two, but three touchdowns before halftime, catching the attention not just of Browns supporters but football fans in general.

Gabriel’s third touchdown of the night was to Ahmani Marshall on a third-and-goal situation with under three minutes remaining in the first half.

AND AGAIN

Dillon Gabriel throws his THIRD touchdown of the first half, this time finding Ahmani Marshall pic.twitter.com/oC0gU4j5VY

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 28, 2026

Thanks to Gabriel’s huge first half, the Browns had a 14-point lead at the end of the second quarter over the reigning AFC champions Patriots.

Gabriel is in competition with Taylen Green for perhaps the final QB roster spot in Cleveland, and his showing early in the Patriots game surely helps his cause. The Browns have already settled the situation atop the QB depth chart, with Deshaun Watson named as their Week 1 starter and Shedeur Sanders as the chief backup.

Gabriel is entering his second season in the NFL. A third-round pick by the Browns in the 2025 NFL Draft, the 25-year-old Gabriel appeared in 10 games in his rookie season, including six starts, passing for 937 yards and seven touchdowns against two interceptions on a 59.5 percent completion rate. He went 1-5 in his starts.

Gabriel played for three seasons in college for the UCF Knights before transferring to the Oklahoma Sooners. After two seasons with the Sooners, he went to Oregon to finish his college career.

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