Browns seem ready to make big Joe Flacco decision for Vikings game in London

Shortly after the Cleveland Browns fell to 1-3 on the season via a 34-10 loss at the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski indicated that 40-year-old Joe Flacco would remain the club's starting quarterback over rookie and third-round draft pick Dillon Gabriel.

It sounds like Stefanski is ready to make a big change ahead of Cleveland's upcoming matchup against the 2-2 Minnesota Vikings that will take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London this coming Sunday. 

Kevin Stefanski says plenty by not committing to Joe Flacco

Per Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal, Stefanski declined to commit to Flacco as Cleveland's QB1 on multiple occasions while speaking with reporters on Monday. 

"I understand the question," Stefanski said at one point. "We have to play better as an offense. We have to coach better on offense. It's not about one person. There are so many things that we need to do better, and obviously, quarterback included, but this is not about one person."

According to StatMuse, Flacco ended Sunday's NFL action responsible for a league-high eight turnovers on the season after he tossed two interceptions and lost a fumble on a strip sack versus Detroit. ESPN stats show he entered Monday ranked last in the league among qualified quarterbacks with a 60.3 passer rating and 32nd out of 33 players with a 27.6 adjusted QBR for the campaign. 

Additionally, Cleveland averaged just 14 points scored per game (ranked 31st) over the season's first four weeks. Only a Tennessee Titans side that may soon fire its head coach averaged fewer points per contest (12.8) over its first four games of the campaign. 

Will Dillon Gabriel make Cleveland Browns better on offense?

"I just would tell you, I understand the question and I understand the scrutiny that comes with the position," Stefanski added about his quarterback situation. "But we have to play better as an offense. We have to do a better job at all positions, including coaching. That's really what I want to get across."

Interestingly, Stefanski would not say if Flacco or 2025 fifth-round draft pick Shedeur Sanders would serve as Gabriel's primary backup if the Browns make a change for the Minnesota game. On Monday morning, former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan suggested he has reasons to "know" that Sanders hasn't been putting in the work behind the scenes to possibly become Cleveland's QB1. After Stefanski offered his latest comments, ESPN BET had the Browns as 3.5-point underdogs against the Vikings.