New England at Cleveland

Todd Monken and Mike Vrabel struck a mutual agreement before this one: neither Deshaun Watson nor Drake Maye is playing, so this finale belongs entirely to the back of each roster. Cleveland goes with Dillon Gabriel and rookie Taylen Green, the pair Monken has been grooming behind Watson all summer and clearly trusts enough to hand the whole night to. New England is the shakier side of this one: Vrabel has said outright that this roster lacks depth, and whoever lines up behind center is auditioning for a real 53-man spot with cutdowns just days away. Two developmental quarterback rooms playing loose, low-continuity football against each other tends to mean broken coverages and free access to the end zone before it means a tight, controlled rehearsal. Every snap tonight is a resume, not a formality. Back the OVER.