Patriots Defense 'Not Good Enough' In Preseason Loss to Browns

It was not even close to a good way to close the preseason, as the New England Patriots fell flat on their faces Thursday night. The Cleveland Browns, backed by a trio of passing touchdowns from quarterback Dillon Gabriel, steamrolled the Patriots and pulled out an impressive 37-13 win.

After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel wasn't shy about how his team played.

"Not good enough," Vrabel said. "Couldn't match the speed of the quarterback in zone read, and some of those things. But we'll get back to work and figure out who we're going to get back to work with."

From the start, it was a groggy day for the Patriots who were coming off an inspiring win over the Philadelphia Eagles a week ago. The secondary struggled to cover any of Cleveland's passing weapons, and once they were able to get within distance of them, they struggled to wrap up.

Patriots Secondary Struggles In Cleveland

Cornerbacks Marcellas Dial, Kindle Vildor, Kobee Minor and Charles Woods, all of who have made strides this camp, didn't look up to par in game uniform. Linebacker Riley Wilson couldn't bring down Browns running back Ahmani Marshall, who found the end zone.

It was a similar result for Minor, who couldn't bring down a spinning Davon Booth in the fourth quarter.

Aug 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Gage Larvadain (84) runs with the ball against the New England Patriots during the second half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Less than a week since Vrabel talked about how this Patriots team wasn't all that deep, it showed. With the starters not suiting up for a single preseason game, it put a lot on the backups. Against Cleveland, they crumbled.

"We have to just continue to try to prepare the football team the best way we can," Vrabel said. "I mean, we got a lot of work to do like everybody else, and the journey, the new journey, the next step in the journey is now building a team and putting that together here at the end of the cut down day.

"And then it'll be, how can we improve along the way? How do we continue to develop the young players? How do we improve as a football team as the season goes on? And we're excited to get started."

Gabriel's three passing touchdowns really showed that the Patriots secondary, at least in its depth stages, is a work in progress. Sure, Christian Gonzalez, Marcus Jones and Carlton Davis are great when they're on the field. But if an injury forces one of them off, who can New England turn to as a replacement?

Aug 27, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Dillon Gabriel (6) throws a pass against the New England Patriots during the first half at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An Update On Christian Gonzalez:

They didn't get anyone tonight that showed any true poise. When you add in the fact that Gonzalez's contract negotiations with the team have seemingly turned sour, the Patriots are going to need depth to emerge ... and fast.

"I have conversations with Christian, and I understand that, you know, this is probably something that's difficult," Vrabel said. "Him and I communicate, and he's always free. Our players are always free to feel how they want to feel."

At the end of the day, this loss really won't hurt the Patriots in the long run. They did finish the summer going 1-1-1, but the real test begins now. It's just unfortunate that the depth — something that's dominated the summer headlines the last week — showed its ugly head just more than a week from the Week 1 opener.

"We need a couple days to get away from each other," Vrabel said. "You put a lot of time in with guys, and you hope that they give you everything that they have."

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