The Cleveland Browns got demolished by Baltimore on Sunday, forcing Kevin Stefanski to pull Joe Flacco in garbage time. The 40-year-old veteran couldn’t handle the Ravens’ pressure, leaving rookie Dillon Gabriel to salvage some dignity in his NFL debut. Gabriel completed 3 of 3 passes for 19 yards and threw his first career touchdown to Dylan Sampson, cutting the final score to 41-17. But the blowout loss exposed deeper problems with Cleveland’s quarterback situation that’s gotten the HC worried.

92.3 The Fan delivered a stark warning about Cleveland’s QB timeline during their Monday broadcast. “Anything before week seven would be the nightmare scenario. Really? Yeah, and that’s not to say that he wouldn’t play a play or two here in looking for a spark. Right,” where they explained about starting Gabriel too early. The radio hosts understand that Cleveland’s early schedule requires veteran experience, not rookie action. Cleveland’s opening six games read like a death sentence for rookie quarterbacks. 92.3 The Fan’s warning about keeping Dillon Gabriel on the bench until Week 7 isn’t just smart advice – it’s a survival strategy.

NFL week 3 brings Jordan Love’s Packers offense, then it’s off to Detroit, where the Lions have turned Ford Field into a house of horrors for visiting teams. The international trip to London against Minnesota‘s explosive passing attack presents unique challenges that even veteran quarterbacks struggle with. Pittsburgh closes out this nightmare stretch at Heinz Field, where T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward have made careers out of destroying rookie dreams.

Week 7 finally offers relief with Miami coming to Cleveland, followed by matchups against New England and the Jets. These represent far more manageable opponents for a rookie making his debut. Gabriel would enter with six weeks of NFL preparation under his belt, having watched Joe Flacco navigate the season’s most treacherous waters. The Browns’ playoff hopes hang in the balance during these opening weeks.

Shedeur Sanders faces an even more frustrating situation, watching Gabriel earn playing time while remaining buried on the depth chart. The fifth-round pick’s draft slide from projected first-rounder to 144th overall continues haunting his professional debut. Recent reports about Sanders telling Baltimore not to draft him earlier this year add another layer of controversy. The Browns’ QB dynamic has created uncertainty, but Stefanski’s hierarchy appears set. Gabriel showed enough in limited action to solidify his backup role, while Sanders remains the emergency option until Cleveland’s schedule lightens after Week 7.

Joe Flacco stays the starter, and here’s why the Browns are right

The Browns are 0-2 and staring down a brutal stretch that could sink their season before October arrives. Sunday’s 41-17 beatdown in Baltimore wasn’t just another loss; it was the kind of loss that should make a team wonder about a lot. But the HC isn’t flinching. When asked about benching 40-year-old Joe Flacco for rookie Dillon Gabriel, his answer was crystal clear: it’s not happening.

That decision makes perfect sense, even if it’s not what frustrated fans want to hear. Flacco looked rusty in his return to Baltimore, throwing for just 199 yards with a pick-six and a fumble returned for a touchdown. His 65.0 passer rating tells the story of a quarterback under siege, getting sacked twice and hit nine times behind a porous offensive line. But here’s the reality — Flacco isn’t the problem. “Look, our defense is playing really well,” Flacco explained after the game. “Early on in my career, we had some really good defenses, and it wasn’t like we were lighting the world on fire on offense, but we were doing good things.” That blueprint still works if everything else falls into place.

The real issues start with the receivers. Jerry Jeudy has stone hands through two games. Cedric Tillman keeps getting knocked down like a bowling pin. The offensive line can’t protect anybody with Jack Conklin sidelined and Dawand Jones struggling mightily. Flacco’s veteran presence gives Cleveland its best shot at salvaging something from this mess. Throwing Gabriel into this chaos would be organizational malpractice. The Browns need to fix the bigger problems first, then worry about quarterback changes later.