Los Angeles Rams vs Cleveland Browns brought together a reigning NFL MVP quarterback and a Browns roster still working through a competitive quarterback battle of its own. Their preseason meeting in August 2025 ended in a nail biter decided on the final drive, while Matthew Stafford’s full 2025 regular season told a much bigger story, one that ended with him claiming league MVP honors for the first time in his accomplished career.
This article breaks down that preseason matchup, Stafford’s historic full season, and the ongoing quarterback situation in Cleveland that shaped the Browns’ roster throughout the year. Every stat below comes from official box scores and season reports.
Quick Team Snapshot
| Team | Game Result | Passing Leader | 2025 Season Highlight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland Browns | Won 19-17 | Joe Flacco, TD pass | Ongoing QB competition |
| Los Angeles Rams | Lost 19-17 | Backup quarterback play | Matthew Stafford wins NFL MVP |
Cleveland edged out a close preseason victory decided by a late touchdown drive, while Los Angeles’ season ultimately hinged on Matthew Stafford’s historic, MVP winning performance once the regular season began.
Los Angeles Rams Key Player Stats
Matthew Stafford: A Career Defining MVP Season
While Stafford did not factor into this particular preseason matchup, his full 2025 regular season became one of the most statistically dominant campaigns by a quarterback in franchise history. Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns, throwing just eight interceptions for the second consecutive season, numbers that earned him a 93.5 overall PFF grade that ranked first among all qualified quarterbacks in the league.
That historic production culminated in Stafford being named NFL MVP, a first for the veteran quarterback despite a career that has included a Super Bowl championship and more than 60,000 career passing yards. He threw four or more touchdown passes in four separate games during the season and posted a passer rating of at least 100 in 12 of his 17 starts, while his 109.2 season passer rating set a new career best and tied Kurt Warner’s franchise record for a Rams quarterback with at least 16 starts in a season.
The Preseason Quarterback Rotation
With Stafford resting for this preseason finale against Cleveland, Los Angeles turned to its backup options to evaluate depth at the position, part of a broader roster evaluation process common across the league during exhibition games. That evaluation process gave the Rams valuable data about their quarterback depth chart heading into the regular season, even though the specific backup performances carried limited long term significance compared to Stafford’s eventual MVP campaign once games began to count.
Los Angeles’ full season success, built around Stafford’s historic production, validated the organization’s decision to prioritize continuity at the quarterback position rather than making a change following a strong but not spectacular previous season. That patience paid off in dramatic fashion, with Stafford’s MVP campaign representing one of the best statistical seasons by any quarterback in the entire NFL during the 2025 season.
Cleveland Browns Key Player Stats
Joe Flacco and Harold Fannin Jr. Seal a Preseason Win
Veteran quarterback Joe Flacco led Cleveland’s offense in this preseason finale, connecting with rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. on a 15 yard touchdown pass that proved to be a crucial score in the eventual 19-17 victory. That kind of veteran leadership from Flacco, brought in to provide stability and mentorship within Cleveland’s crowded quarterback room, gave the Browns coaching staff a steady presence to lean on throughout the preseason evaluation process. Full details from that game are available through ESPN’s game summary.
Cleveland’s decision to turn to Tyler Huntley rather than rookie Shedeur Sanders for the team’s winning drive late in the game reflected head coach Kevin Stefanski’s preference for veteran composure in a close game situation, even during a low stakes preseason contest. That decision offered an early signal of how Cleveland’s coaching staff intended to navigate its complicated quarterback situation throughout the rest of the preseason and into the regular season.
Cleveland’s Complicated Quarterback Competition
Beyond this specific preseason game, Cleveland’s quarterback situation throughout 2025 and into 2026 became one of the most closely watched storylines in the entire NFL. Deshaun Watson, working his way back from consecutive Achilles tears that cost him significant playing time, ultimately earned the Week 1 starting job for the 2026 season, with Shedeur Sanders serving as his backup after a competitive camp battle that included Dillon Gabriel making a strong late push with a three touchdown performance in the preseason finale against New England.
That ongoing quarterback competition, spanning Watson’s injury recovery, Sanders’ development as a rookie draft pick, and Gabriel’s own strong preseason showings, reflected the broader organizational uncertainty Cleveland faced at the position following a difficult stretch of seasons. The Browns’ willingness to let that competition play out extensively through both the 2025 and 2026 preseasons showed a coaching staff determined to make the most informed decision possible at football’s most important position.
Rams vs Browns: Key Player Stats at a Glance
| Player | Team | Key Performance | Season Achievement | Notable Context |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew Stafford | Rams | Did not play (preseason) | NFL MVP, 4,707 yards, 46 TD | Career-best 109.2 rating |
| Joe Flacco | Browns | TD pass to Fannin Jr. | Veteran QB room presence | Preseason win |
| Deshaun Watson | Browns | Recovering from injury | Won Week 1 starting job (2026) | Returned from Achilles tears |
| Dillon Gabriel | Browns | 3 TD in later preseason | Strong QB competition push | Second-year developmental arc |
Note: The preseason game statistics reflect backup and depth quarterback performances, since Stafford rested for this particular contest, while his season totals reflect his full, MVP-winning 2025 regular season production.
Team Comparison
This matchup and its surrounding context highlighted two franchises in very different quarterback situations. Los Angeles enjoyed remarkable stability and historic production from an established star in Stafford, whose MVP winning season validated years of roster building around a proven veteran passer. That certainty at the quarterback position allowed the Rams coaching staff to focus preseason evaluation primarily on depth and complementary pieces rather than any uncertainty at the game’s most important position.
Cleveland’s situation reflected the opposite scenario, with genuine uncertainty at quarterback driving extensive preseason competition across multiple players with very different backgrounds and skill sets. That kind of open competition, while creating natural media intrigue, also reflected the challenge Cleveland faced in trying to identify a long term answer at the position following Watson’s significant injury history and inconsistent previous performances when healthy.
Head to Head History
The Rams and Browns do not share a division, meeting only periodically as part of the NFL’s scheduling rotation between conferences. This preseason matchup provided a rare glimpse of the two rosters together, though its exhibition nature limited its significance within any broader historical rivalry context between the two organizations.
Recent Matchup Recap
The August 2025 preseason finale between these two teams came down to the final drive, with Cleveland’s offense, led by Flacco’s touchdown connection to Fannin Jr., building enough of a cushion to hold off a Los Angeles rally attempt. Stefanski’s decision to trust Huntley over Sanders for the Browns’ potential winning possession reflected a coaching staff still very much in evaluation mode regarding its long term quarterback plans, even while prioritizing the more experienced option for a specific game situation late in a close contest.
That preseason result carried no bearing on either team’s eventual regular season outcomes, with Los Angeles going on to have a historic season built around Stafford’s MVP campaign while Cleveland continued working through its complicated quarterback situation across the following months, culminating in Watson eventually winning the starting job for the 2026 season opener against Jacksonville.
What to Watch Next
For the Rams, building on Stafford’s historic MVP season while continuing to add complementary weapons and protect their star quarterback’s continued excellence will remain the top organizational priority. His numbers throughout 2025 place him among an elite tier of quarterback seasons in modern NFL history, and Los Angeles will look to capitalize on that individual excellence to pursue deeper postseason success in the years ahead.
For the Browns, resolving the ongoing quarterback competition and settling on a clear long term plan at the position remains the most significant organizational challenge. Watson’s health and performance level following his significant injury history will be closely monitored throughout the 2026 season, while both Sanders and Gabriel’s continued development could still play meaningful roles in Cleveland’s quarterback plans depending on how the situation unfolds.
Matthew Stafford’s Remarkable Career Arc
Stafford’s MVP winning 2025 season represents a remarkable achievement for a quarterback who has been playing at the professional level since being selected first overall in the 2009 draft. His journey from a rebuilding Detroit Lions franchise to a Super Bowl championship and now an MVP award with the Rams reflects one of the more compelling individual career arcs in recent NFL history, showing sustained excellence and continued statistical peak performance well into his late thirties.
That longevity and continued elite production place Stafford in rare historical company, with his 2025 season statistics drawing favorable comparisons to some of the greatest single season quarterback performances in NFL history. His combination of accuracy, arm strength, and the veteran decision making that comes from over a decade and a half of professional experience gave Los Angeles exactly the kind of quarterback play capable of elevating an entire organization’s competitive outlook.
Deshaun Watson’s Difficult Road Back
Watson’s path back to the Browns’ starting lineup following consecutive Achilles tears represented one of the more difficult injury recovery stories in recent NFL memory. Tearing the same category of injury in back to back years, first in October of 2024 and again early in 2025, raised legitimate questions about his long term durability and ability to return to the level of play that had made him a coveted quarterback earlier in his career before joining Cleveland.
His eventual return to game action in the 2026 preseason, completing 11 of 15 passes in his first appearance since the initial injury, offered genuine encouragement that he could still contribute at a competent level, even if questions remained about his ceiling compared to his peak performance years. Cleveland’s decision to name him the Week 1 starter for 2026 reflected the organization’s continued belief in his potential, balanced against the significant financial investment the team had made in acquiring him in previous seasons.
The Sanders and Gabriel Development Storylines
Beyond Watson’s recovery, both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel’s development throughout the 2025 and 2026 preseasons added significant intrigue to Cleveland’s broader quarterback room dynamics. Sanders, taken in a draft that generated significant national attention given his family background and college production, faced substantial early scrutiny, including a difficult preseason debut with a low passer rating that drew immediate criticism from analysts and former players.
Gabriel’s own development told a more encouraging story, particularly his standout performance in the 2026 preseason finale against New England, where he completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in impressive fashion. That kind of performance, even against backup competition, created genuine debate among analysts about whether Cleveland’s coaching staff had properly evaluated its full quarterback room, with some former players publicly questioning whether Gabriel deserved a more serious look at the starting role given his consistent preseason production across two seasons.
Statistical Comparison Across Different Quarterback Situations
The contrast between Stafford’s proven, historically great 2025 season and Cleveland’s ongoing quarterback uncertainty offers a valuable case study in how differently NFL franchises can approach the same fundamental challenge of winning football games. Los Angeles benefited enormously from organizational patience and continuity, allowing an accomplished veteran to continue performing at an elite level without the disruption of an unnecessary quarterback change.
Cleveland’s situation, born partly out of unfortunate injury circumstances and partly out of previous personnel decisions, required a more complex, multi-quarterback evaluation approach that extended across multiple seasons. Neither approach is inherently superior in all circumstances, but the dramatically different outcomes, an MVP season in Los Angeles compared to ongoing uncertainty in Cleveland, illustrate just how much quarterback stability can influence an entire organization’s competitive trajectory over the course of a season and beyond.
Fantasy Football Implications From Both Situations
For fantasy football managers, Stafford’s historic 2025 season made him one of the most valuable quarterback assets in the entire league, finishing among the top statistical performers at the position and providing consistent, high level weekly production for any manager who rostered him throughout the season. His touchdown total and passing yardage both ranked among the league’s best, translating directly into significant fantasy point production on a week to week basis.
Cleveland’s quarterback uncertainty made fantasy evaluation considerably more difficult throughout the relevant seasons, with managers needing to closely monitor the team’s ongoing competition and eventual decisions about the starting role. That kind of quarterback uncertainty typically suppresses fantasy value across the board for any team’s passing offense, since consistent scheme fit and game experience with a single starter usually produces better statistical outcomes than a frequently changing quarterback situation.
Los Angeles’ Roster Construction Around Stafford
The Rams’ organizational success in 2025 extended well beyond Stafford’s individual brilliance, reflecting a broader roster construction philosophy that prioritized surrounding their veteran quarterback with capable weapons and a supportive offensive infrastructure. Wide receivers like Puka Nacua and Davante Adams gave Stafford reliable, talented targets throughout the season, while running back Kyren Williams provided the kind of complementary ground game production that helped balance an offense capable of attacking defenses in multiple ways.
That complete roster approach, rather than relying solely on Stafford’s individual excellence, gave Los Angeles the depth and flexibility needed to sustain success across a full 17 game regular season and into the postseason. Head coach Sean McVay’s continued offensive scheme innovation, tailored specifically to maximize Stafford’s strengths as a downfield passer with excellent anticipation and accuracy, played a significant role in unlocking the historic statistical production that ultimately earned the veteran quarterback his first career MVP award.
Cleveland’s Defensive Identity Amid Quarterback Uncertainty
While the ongoing quarterback competition dominated much of the media coverage surrounding the Browns organization, Cleveland’s defense continued building its own identity as a potential strength capable of keeping the team competitive even during periods of offensive uncertainty. That defensive foundation offered the organization a degree of stability and competitive floor, even as questions persisted about which quarterback would ultimately provide the best complementary offensive production.
Building a roster capable of winning primarily through defense and situational offensive execution represents a viable, if less glamorous, path to competitiveness in the modern NFL, one that several successful organizations have employed during transitional periods at the quarterback position. Cleveland’s coaching staff appeared to embrace exactly that kind of balanced team building approach throughout the ongoing quarterback evaluation process, understanding that a strong defense could help mask some of the inherent uncertainty at the game’s most important offensive position.
The Financial Complexity of Cleveland’s Quarterback Situation
Beyond the on field competition, Cleveland’s quarterback situation carried significant financial complexity given the substantial contract commitment the organization had made to Watson in previous seasons. That financial investment created organizational pressure to continue giving Watson opportunities to prove his health and effectiveness, even as his on field performance and durability raised legitimate questions among fans and analysts about whether the team might have been better served pursuing a different long term solution at the position.
That kind of financial commitment tension, balancing sunk cost considerations against pure on field performance evaluation, represents a common challenge across professional sports roster management. Cleveland’s specific situation with Watson offered a particularly stark example of how significant guaranteed contract money can complicate what might otherwise be more straightforward on field personnel decisions, adding an extra layer of organizational complexity to the team’s broader quarterback competition throughout this period.
Sean McVay’s Continued Coaching Excellence
Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay’s role in maximizing Stafford’s MVP winning season deserves significant recognition, with his offensive scheme design and game planning consistently putting his veteran quarterback in position to succeed throughout the season. McVay’s reputation as one of the league’s most innovative offensive minds only grew following this historic season, adding to an already impressive coaching resume that includes a previous Super Bowl championship with the organization.
That coaching excellence extended beyond pure scheme design into the kind of week to week game planning and in game adjustments that allowed Stafford to consistently exploit favorable matchups throughout the season. The partnership between McVay’s offensive innovation and Stafford’s veteran execution and decision making created one of the most effective quarterback and coach combinations in the entire NFL during the 2025 season, a dynamic that showed up clearly in the team’s historic offensive statistical output.
Historical Comparisons for Stafford’s MVP Season
Stafford’s 2025 statistical output invites natural comparison to some of the greatest individual quarterback seasons in NFL history, particularly given his rare combination of high touchdown production, low interception totals, and sustained excellence across a full 17 game season. His achievement of becoming just the third player in NFL history with multiple 50 plus touchdown seasons including playoffs, joining an elite group that includes Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, places his career achievements in truly rarefied historical territory.
That historical context matters significantly for understanding just how exceptional Stafford’s 2025 campaign truly was, even beyond the immediate MVP recognition. Football historians and analysts will likely continue referencing this season as one of the signature individual quarterback performances of the modern NFL era, a fitting achievement for a player who had spent much of his earlier career on rebuilding Detroit teams before finding sustained success and ultimate individual recognition with the Rams organization.
What Analysts Predict for Both Franchises Going Forward
NFL analysts and evaluators have expressed considerable optimism about Los Angeles’ continued championship window given Stafford’s sustained excellence and the strong supporting cast McVay has built around him. The combination of proven veteran quarterback play and innovative offensive coaching gives the Rams organization a formula that many analysts believe positions the team for continued deep playoff runs in the seasons immediately following this historic MVP campaign.
Cleveland’s outlook remains considerably more uncertain in the eyes of most analysts, with the team’s ultimate competitive trajectory heavily dependent on how the ongoing quarterback situation resolves itself. Whether Watson can sustain the health and performance level needed to justify his significant financial investment, or whether younger options like Sanders or Gabriel ultimately prove to be the organization’s better long term answer, will likely determine Cleveland’s competitive outlook for years to come, making this one of the more closely watched organizational storylines heading into the 2026 season and beyond.
Conclusion
Los Angeles Rams vs Cleveland Browns offered an early season snapshot of two franchises whose paths would diverge dramatically once the stakes increased. Matthew Stafford’s historic MVP winning campaign validated the Rams’ organizational stability at quarterback, while Cleveland’s extended quarterback competition, spanning Deshaun Watson’s injury recovery and the continued development of both Shedeur Sanders and Dillon Gabriel, reflected the ongoing challenge of identifying a long term answer at the position.
With Stafford building on one of the greatest individual seasons in recent NFL history and Cleveland continuing to navigate its complicated quarterback situation into the 2026 season, both organizations carry significant storylines forward, even after their preseason paths crossed in a game that ultimately had little bearing on either team’s larger season long trajectory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the result of the Rams vs Browns preseason game?
The Cleveland Browns won 19-17, with Joe Flacco throwing a touchdown pass to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and Tyler Huntley leading the Browns’ game-winning drive.
How did Matthew Stafford perform during the full 2025 season?
Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns while throwing just eight interceptions, earning NFL MVP honors for the first time in his career.
Who won Cleveland’s quarterback competition heading into 2026?
Deshaun Watson was named the Week 1 starter for the 2026 season, with Shedeur Sanders serving as his backup after a competitive preseason battle that also included Dillon Gabriel.
What injury was Deshaun Watson recovering from?
Watson suffered consecutive Achilles tears, the first in October 2024 and the second early in 2025, before making his return to game action during the 2026 preseason.
How did Dillon Gabriel perform in Cleveland’s preseason finale?
Gabriel completed 12 of 15 passes for 186 yards and three touchdowns in the Browns’ preseason finale against New England, a standout performance that sparked debate about his role in the quarterback competition.
