Cleveland Browns debutant Dillon Gabriel was determined to put a positive spin on the defeat his side suffered at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the first of the season’s London games.

Rookie Gabriel, getting his first start under center following the benching of veteran Joe Flacco, made a bright start, leading the Browns to an early touchdown as he found fellow 2025 newcomer Harold Fannin Jr in the endzone to capitalise on a Jordan Mason fumble that stalled the Minnesota Vikings’ opening drive. And, although the Vikings hit straight back, there was no sign of panic from the latest quarterback thrown into the fire by the Browns.

Getting his side within striking distance for Andre Szmyt to pop over a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter and give Cleveland the half-time advantage, Gabriel responded to a Vikings score right at the start of the third by working his way down the field and finding his other TE, veteran David Njoku, for six to put the Browns back in front, 17-14.

That would be all the scoring for Cleveland, however, with the Vikings’ defense denying them another shot at the endzone and Minnesota leaving very little time on the clock for Gabriel to engineer a remarkable victory once they had retaken the lead via a Jordan Addison touchdown.

For all the disappointment, the first rookie to make his NFL debut overseas insisted that there was enough positivity to be forward having established a productive rapport with both Njoku and rookie running back Quinshon Judkins.

“I think there’s always something to build on,” Gabriel maintained in the post-game press conference. “[There are] no moral victories whatsoever but I think, regardless of result, week-to-week, there’s a process. And the more time you spend around anyone, you’re going to get more continuity. That’s ‘keep it to the receiver’, ‘keep it to your running backs’. It’s us as a whole unit coming together and getting comfortable.”

Gabriel said that he was far from overawed by the occasion and, in fairness, appeared comfortable behind a stout Browns O-line, but admitted that his performance still required analysing.

“I was definitely was ready for that, but it all comes down to the details,” he explained. “I think I learned little details but, in any game, you’re going to want four to five plays back. Of course, the result will feel different, and maybe your four to five plays may feel different, but that’s the game we live and play in. You’ve got to be better in those four to five plays — that is what and why you continue to work as hard as you do.”

While the Browns offense stalled too often — as did their opponent’s — it appeared that their fearsome defense might see them through, only falling to that Addison touchdown in the final minute.

“I think we continue to ride on our guys,” Dillon said of the D. “They’ve been playing their butts off — and I think you [have to] look at a whole work of over five weeks. It’s hard to look at one game. Nobody’s perfect. It isn’t going to be a perfect world. We could have been in a better position to go convert on third, and all of a sudden, it’s a different outcome and a different feeling. But that’s where we can help them out. This is a team deal. It isn’t on one person. It isn’t on everybody. But the truth is the result was the result and we’ve got to find a way to change that.”