Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Breaks Silence on Mystery Injury
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders missed Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots with an injury but it was apparently not his decision to sit out.
Sanders popped up on the injury report late in the week with a back ailment he self-reported to the team. He was seen testing it out pregame but was not active, with practice squad Bailey Zappe assuming the backup role to Dillon Gabriel.
After the 31-6 loss to the Patriots, Sanders told reporters that it wasn’t his decision to sit out, per Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. He also said “I guarantee I’m going to be good” when asked about missing any additional time.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski addressed Sanders sitting out, saying they didn’t feel comfortable after watching his warm up.
“Yeah, he obviously came in Saturday with his back injury. We were hopeful that he’d be able to move around well enough to suit up on Sunday,” Stefanski said. “But, put him through a pre-game warm up, and obviously just didn’t feel like he was ready to play. But he’s getting better every day and I’m hopeful that he’ll continue to improve.”
Browns Not ‘Focused’ on Starting Shedeur Sanders
The situation with Sanders in Cleveland is under the spotlight, especially with Gabriel struggling as the starter. Gabriel passed for just 156 yards against the Patriots with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Through four games, Gabriel has passed for 702 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. His QBR of 25.8 ranks 32nd in the NFL. Despite Gabriel’s struggles, the Browns plan to stick with him in Week 10 following their bye week.
“Playing good on offense is about 11 guys on the field and us as coaches doing our job,” Stefanski said. “Obviously young players will learn in each outing that they’re out there. I think Dillon will continue to learn, will continue to get better, but it’s really an entire offensive type of thing where we all need to be better.”
Stefanski also addressed a direct question about giving Sanders a shot.
“Obviously my focus is where we are right now,” Stefanski said. “That’s not my focus.”
Browns’ Weighing Other Offensive Shifts
The Browns offense has been nearly unwatchable for the majority of the season. Cleveland ranks 31st in total yards per game at 263.5 and 30th in points at 15.8. Stefanski said they’ll look at everything during the bye week, which could include him giving up the play-calling duties to offensive coordinator Tommy Rees.
“I need to spend time on all those things, and I think it’s by position we have to be better and we have to put our players in better spots, if you will, and that includes every position,” Stefanski said. “So, we’ll look at all of it this week and make a decision coming out of the bye.
“You’re constantly looking at different players, different ways, routes that they can run, concepts that they can run. So you have to continue to search for those things so that you can be efficient and then ultimately explosive.”
The Browns will have a chance to get back on track after the bye against the one-win New York Jets.
NFL Makes Major Announcement on Packers QB Jordan Love
The Green Bay Packers are rolling, leading the NFC due to a quality defense and quarterback Jordan Love, who is currently playing like a superstar.
Love owns the 8th-best odds for the NFL’s MVP award heading into Week 9 at plus-1600. Only three players have odds better than plus-1100: those being Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs (plus-150), Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills (plus-350), and second-year signal-caller Drake Maye of the New England Patriots (plus-550).
Love put up his best game of the season in Green Bay’s 35-25 road win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on “Sunday Night Football,” during his first ever contest against former Packers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Love finished the outing with 360 yards and three TDs after connecting on 78.4 percent of his 37 pass attempts.
The victory moved Green Bay to a record of 5-1-1, which is good enough for the top winning percentage in the NFC at the season’s midway point. Love also earned a prestigious honor for his performance, which the league announced via social media on Wednesday, October 29.
“NFC Players of the Week (Week 8),” the NFL captioned a graphic naming Love the winner of the award on the offensive side of the football after he posted a 134.2 pass rating.
Packers’ Wide Receivers Getting Healthy, Which Should Help Jordan Love Continue Elite Play
GettyQuarterback Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers.
Love is having a career year from an efficiency standpoint, completing just shy of 71 percent of his 213 pass attempts for the season.
He has amassed 1,798 passing yards and 13 TDs to just 2 INTs. At his current pace and assuming no missed time due to injuries, Love will tie his career high for TD passes with 32 and surpass his career high with 4,366 yards through the air. He will also remain well below the 11 interceptions he threw in both 2023 and 2024, his first two years as an NFL starter.
The Packers offense hasn’t been as explosive as some might have guessed this season, in part due to injuries in the wide receiver room, as well as health issues and some poor play across the offensive line. However, wideout Christian Watson made his season debut against Pittsburgh Sunday, while pass-catcher Jayden Reed is likely to return at some point in November.
Packers Offensive Line Leaps Back Inside Top 10 After Strong Week Against Steelers
GettyGreen Bay Packers right tackle Zach Tom.
The offensive line has had its issues, particularly compared to previous years when it was among the best in the league.
However, the unit jumped back into the top 1o of Pro Football Focus’s rankings, per Zoltán Buday — slotting in at No. 9 overall heading into Week 9.
Green Bay’s offensive line delivered steady play in Week 8 in the team’s win over the Steelers. The unit surrendered eight pressures — including no sacks — on 37 passing snaps on its way to an 89.2 PFF pass-blocking efficiency rating, which ranked ninth in the NFL.
The Packers once again rotated at right guard between Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan, with both playing at least 29 snaps of a possible 64. Morgan could win the positional battle with the type of play he showed this week. He earned a career-high 83.5 PFF overall grade, powered by an 84.0 PFF pass-blocking grade, as he did not allow a single pressure. Both marks led all Green Bay offensive linemen against Pittsburgh.
The Packers host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday and are currently 13.5-point favorites after opening the week with an 11.5-point edge, per ESPN BET.
