Dillon Gabriel is set to make his debut as starting QB for the Cleveland Browns. Will he continue the franchise’s historic losing streak?

Quarterback Dillon Gabriel has already made two brief appearances in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns.

The rookie will play his first game as starting QB on Sunday at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium against the Minnesota Vikings.

The game in London will be a special one not only for him personally, but also for the Browns. Whether Gabriel wins or not, he will definitely go down in the franchise’s history books.

Will Gabriel continue an eerie streak?

If he loses, he will be the one to continue the Browns’ almost uncanny streak of quarterbacks who have lost their starting debut in the NFL. So far, this has been the case for the last 16 quarterbacks in a row.

However, if he leads the Browns to victory, he would be the first playmaker in 29 years to do so in his starting debut in the NFL. According to Pro Football Talk, the last player to achieve this was Eric Zeier in 1996 – the last season of the “old” Browns franchise, which then moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens.

Since the Browns rejoined the NFL in 1999, not a single quarterback on the team has made a successful debut as a starter.

But even if Gabriel were to achieve this feat and end this decades-long streak, his joy would probably be somewhat dampened.

Unlike what is normally the case in the NFL, he will have to experience his starting debut in the stadium without his parents.

Gabriel’s father does not have a passport

The reason: his father did not apply for a UK passport in time. But that may also have something to do with the special nature of the game for Gabriel.

After all, the third-round pick in last year’s draft is the first quarterback in NFL history to make his first start abroad.