Two Reasons Shedeur Sanders’s Winning Debut Start Will Keep People Talking
Before the commencement of our required reading on Shedeur Sanders, an announcement: Myles Garrett is ridiculous and will almost certainly bypass T.J. Watt and Michael Strahan, who currently hold the NFL’s single-season sack record of 22.5. It feels sinful to mention anything tangentially connected to Cleveland’s offense when
We now resume our regularly scheduled programming …
If the Browns’ offensive game plan in their 24–10 win over the Raiders was an indictment of their faith in Shedeur Sanders, it would not be quite as expressive as the passive-aggressive 2014 masterpiece in which Marty Mornhinweg, as offensive coordinator of the Jets, ran the ball 49 times in a game against the Dolphins amid a supposed disagreement over the balance of the offense. But, it was not far off.
Before the game began, Sanders, drenched in his trademark confidence, answered a question from a sideline reporter about what he’s going to show himself, Browns fans and his teammates. His response was: “I’m who they’ve been looking for.”
One could tell that was his mindset, especially in moments like at the 12-minute mark of the fourth quarter, when Sanders, faced with a third-and-26 in field goal range, opted to bomb a pass to Cedric Tillman that, at least for a moment, looked like a one-on-one opportunity, in lieu of checking the ball down and making a field goal easier for his kicker. While I am no body language expert, Sanders looked like someone who was ready to take the governor switch off the golf cart but couldn’t find where the club pro hid the keys. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski and play-caller Tommy Rees did their best to allow a completely disoriented Raiders offense to beat itself. The full Sanders experience was not quite what
That was evident in much of what Cleveland did Sunday, from the Wildcat package featuring Quinshon Judkins in the red zone—dusting off some of Rees’s Jalen Milroe packages at Alabama—to the reliance on the run game or shorter passes that could capitalize on Cleveland’s collection of young skill-position players adept at gaining yards after the catch, it was clear that the Browns had no interest in making this a showcase. If the Browns didn’t make the point obvious enough, Cleveland punted from inside the Raiders’ 30-yard line. Sanders’s first touchdown pass, a 66-yard behind-the-line swing toss to Dylan Sampson—while not taking anything away from an incredible moment for a young quarterback making his first start—was a showcase in artful downfield blocking and a defense’s complete unwillingness to offer an ounce of aggression.
And, soberly, why would the Browns have pushed Sanders based on how the game was unfolding? A short field and a 13-yard touchdown drive spotted them an early 7–0 lead. Garrett was, as we mentioned, wholly unblockable. Geno Smith was inaccurate and painfully late on several potentially game-breaking throws. (He finished 11-of-20 for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception.)
All that said, the game will successfully accomplish two things, neither of which are what the Browns had intended.
• It will no doubt inflame the absolutely ludicrous notion that the Browns are somehow purposefully setting Sanders up to fail. That idea has gone horrifically mainstream, with the CBS broadcast leading off by talking about Sanders finally getting reps (an extension of the same absurd complaint that Sanders did not get starter reps the week before, when he was the backup—to a fellow rookie starter who needed as many reps as humanly possible, as well).
• It contained just enough breadcrumb moments from Sanders to crack the door open on a legitimate quarterback competition—this despite the clear discrepancy in what was offered to Sanders on the play sheet versus what has been offered to Gabriel in his game action. While this will primarily amount to a plume of talk radio noise, Sanders’s rollout downfield completion for 53 yards in the first quarter was one of the best singular offensive moments of Browns football this season (and really the past two seasons). Garrett had an outsized reaction on the sideline, which, to me, looked like guarded optimism.
The moments in between depend on your own personal interpretation, but the truth is that Sanders had instances when he stepped up in the pocket—a welcome sign—and moments where he began that alarming drift away from the line of scrimmage. He had moments where he was perfectly decisive and moments where he looked as though he was trying to remember whether this was professional football or international cricket. He passed up easier completions for more adventurous opportunities downfield, which he showed a penchant for in the preseason. While the approach from Rees and Stefanski may have seemed overly, painfully conservative, it was those guardrails that kept Sanders from providing a lifeless Raiders squad with momentum. Sanders threw an interception—a poor decision on a curl route that required him to look off a defender in order to widen his window, which he did not do. I counted at least one more near interception that a more skilled defense would have devoured.
To Sanders’s credit, the Raiders tried to mimic the way the Ravens showed all-out pressure on critical passing downs last week, and this time he looked more prepared for what was clearly the en vogue pressure to stop him. His lone sack appeared to be the result of strong coverage, though we’re at the immediate mercy of the television camera angle.
The hope is that Cleveland has as strong a game plan to deal with what happens next on the Sanders front. He was the Browns’ first rookie quarterback to win his initial start since Eric Zeier in 1995—and back then a nation’s worth of sports programming powered in part by Sanders’s mere existence did not exist. My guess? They knew that was going to be the biggest challenge all along. For the record, after the game, Stefanski said he wasn’t getting into that on Sunday.
Cleveland Browns Address Starting QB Decision After Shedeur Sanders Wins Debut
The Cleveland Browns did not give a straight answer on whether Shedeur Sanders will start next week after leading the team to victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in his debut.
Sanders became the first Browns rookie to win his debut since 1995. He executed what he needed to do in the victory and had a handful of dynamic plays. Sanders finished with 209 yards on 11-of-20 passing with a touchdown and an interception.
His biggest throw of the day came in the first quarter. After scrambling away from pressure, Sanders found Isaiah Bond downfield on a 52-yard pass. Sanders’ touchdown pass came on a quick throw to Dylan Sampson, who caught the ball and accelerated for 66 yards for a touchdown.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski did not commit to Sanders after the win.
“I’m proud of him. Proud of this offense. A ton of things to learn from, but I’m just going to worry about today,” Stefanski said.
Stefanski had said previously that the job would be Gabriel’s once he returned from the concussion. But the team will have to reconsider after Sanders’ starting debut.
Gabriel did little to establish himself as the unquestioned starter. He went 1-5 in his starts, passing for 937 yards, seven touchdowns and two interceptions.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Wanted to Make Statement
Sanders became the 42nd starting quarterback for the Browns since 1999. Ahead of his debut, Sanders said he didn’t want to just be serviceable. He wanted to send a message that he could be “the guy” moving forward for Cleveland.
“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope, and I would be doing a disservice to myself and disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy,” Sanders said. “I’m doing everything I need to prepare to be the best version of myself as possible. With the circumstances, everything got me sped up, and that’s great – you know, I like pressure in life. I’m just excited for everything. So, I feel like I’m the guy, I know I’m the guy, but you just have to be able to see. The game got to speak.”
He doubled down on that message just ahead of the Week 12 matchup in his pre-game interview.
“I’m who they been looking for,” Sanders told CBS.
Shedeur Sanders Thankful for Opportunity With Browns
Many don’t see it as a tough decision for the Browns. While not perfect, Sanders led the offense with confidence and poise. The rookie was thankful for the opportunity after picking up the win.
“God is the only way I made it through it. The last six or seven months have been extremely hard,” said Sanders, who slipped from a projected first-round pick to the fifth round in the draft. “Before going into the game, I didn’t feel nervous. I didn’t feel anything. I did as much work as I could during the week to make Sunday fun. I love how the offense line embraced me and understood I’m only about business. I’m thankful I was able to get a win for the Browns.”
So does Sanders think he should remain the starter?
“I think I showed a couple of great pieces. A few things I wish I could get back. A win is crazy. And off just one week of practice,” Sanders said. “Imagine what a full offseason looks like. It gets dangerous.”
Sanders and the Browns face a stiffer test next week as they host the San Francisco 49ers.
