Shedeur Sanders had the town talking after his showing against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. While the Cleveland Browns lost 31-29, the 3rd-string rookie out of Colorado raised a lot of eyebrows as he accomplished something only Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow has.
Sanders put up a showing so impressive against the Titans that he became only the second rookie quarterback in NFL history, after Burrow, to record 350+ passing yards, 3+ touchdown passes, and 1+ rushing touchdown in a single game. In 2020, Burrow put up 406 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and one rushing score against the Browns at home.
However, is the hype warranted?
Ex-Browns HC Eric Mangini Doesn’t Think Much of Shedeur Sanders vs. Titans
Former Browns head coach Eric Mangini, however, isn’t sold on Sanders yet. He appeared on “First Things First” on Monday, where he opposed other analysts on the panel with his take on the rookie out of Colorado.
“As well as he played, they lost to the worst team in the NFL,” he noted [Timestamp: 2:56]. “The way that it’s projected is that they had this huge victory that’s this great team. They lost to the worst team in the NFL, that had one win.”
He highlighted how “interesting” it was to see Sanders go up against fellow rookie Cam Ward, mentioning that he did many good things.
“Look, the Browns’ defense is pretty staunch, so it was interesting to see him with Cam Ward,” he continued. “And they were behind by multiple touchdowns late, and he did a lot of good things and bring them back, and there’s a bunch of positives.”
On the flipside, though, Mangini elaborated on why he’s not buying into the Sanders hype, referencing the rookie’s poor stats.
“Over the course of three games, he’s at 52% completion,” he added. “He’s only had five touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s got an 80 quarterback rating. He’s been sacked eight times — it’s about 7% of the time. So, his numbers are very comparable, and I know nobody wants to hear this, to what Dillon Gabriel’s numbers were — they’re very similar.”
The former head coach concluded his take by assessing the Browns’ situation heading into the offseason.
“There are a ton of positive things,” he finished. “It’s good that they’re going to continue to start him because they’re going to have to make a decision going into this offseason, whether they really think he can make enough of a jump next year to give them a legitimate shot as their QB1.”
The Browns (3-10), ranked last on PFSN’s Offensive Impact Metrics, are essentially out of playoff contention despite playing in a poor AFC North division this year. With the draft standing as one of their biggest tools to turn the franchise around, head coach Kevin Stefanski will evaluate the quarterback room to determine whether they should have another rookie shot-caller next season.
