For Browns safety Grant Delpit, Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins was a reminder of what he had nearly forgotten: the feeling of winning. “I forgot what it was like to be a part of a win,” Delpit said leading up to the matchup. By the end of a rainy and windy afternoon at FirstEnergy Stadium, Delpit and his teammates had rediscovered that feeling in emphatic fashion.
Cleveland (2-5) rolled to a 31-6 victory, snapping a three-game losing streak and surpassing the 17-point mark for the first time in 12 games. The Browns’ win was a full-team effort, highlighted by a stingy defense, opportunistic special teams, and a remarkable performance from rookie running back Quinshon Judkins.
Judkins scored three touchdowns, becoming the first Browns running back with three rushing scores in a single game since Nick Chubb in 2022. Two of the touchdowns came on direct snaps out of the Wildcat formation, a strategy that Coach Kevin Stefanski said was added late in the week after analyzing the weather forecast.
Judkins opened the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and later extended the lead to 17-3 on a bobbled direct snap from the 3-yard line. He capped his big day with a 2-yard Wildcat touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, finishing with 84 rushing yards on 25 carries.
The Browns’ defense played a historic role, allowing a touchdown for the first time in nearly two years. Cleveland intercepted Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa three times and scored 21 points off the Dolphins’ four turnovers. Cornerback Tyson Campbell, acquired from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 9, returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown on the first play of the second half. Safety Rayshawn Jenkins contributed with a fumble recovery on special teams in the second quarter and an interception in the fourth, both setting up Judkins’ Wildcat touchdowns.
Despite outgaining Cleveland 219-206, Miami (1-6) struggled to convert, managing only two field goals from Riley Patterson. Tagovailoa completed 12 of 23 passes for 100 yards, threw three interceptions for the second consecutive week, and recorded a career-low passer rating of 24.1. He also fumbled three times but did not lose any of the ball. Quinn Ewers replaced Tagovailoa midway through the fourth quarter.
The Dolphins were just 1 of 13 on third down and were penalized 11 times for 103 yards. Running back De’Von Achane provided Miami’s lone bright spot, rushing 13 times for 82 yards.
Questions about head coach Mike McDaniel’s future intensified after the lopsided loss. McDaniel, now 29-29 in his fourth season, addressed speculation about his job security but was visibly downcast and deflective.
Up Next: Miami heads to Atlanta next Sunday, while Cleveland travels to face New England.
