The Cleveland Browns got to see the best performance of Shedeur Sanders’ career so far, but the team still lost 31-29 to the Tennessee Titans. In a battle between two teams with no playoff aspirations, Cam Ward was able to beat Shedeur in a game of two rookie quarterbacks.
A specific play call late in the game caught the attention of those who were watching. The Browns scored a touchdown that could’ve resulted in a tie with a two-point conversion, but Stefanski decided to take Sanders out of the play and run a wildcat formation, which did not work out.
Skip Bayless Criticizes Kevin Stefanski After Two-Point Attempt Play Call Without Shedeur Sanders
Taking the quarterback away from the play in a crucial moment of the game seemed to be a risky play call. In just his third start in the NFL, Sanders had thrown for 364 yards at that point of the game, but he did not get the chance to tie the score and maybe take the game to overtime.
After the game, sports analyst Skip Bayless took to Twitter and heavily criticized the Browns’ coach. Skip, a notable Sanders fan, said that Stefanski “couldn’t stand seeing Shedeur tie the game with a two-point conversion” and called for his firing:
SHEDEUR TO FANNIN FOR THE CLUTCH TD — THEN STEFANSKI TAKES SHEDEUR OUT FOR THE WILDCAT — DISASTER. STEFANSKI BLOWS ANOTHER GAME. HE JUST COULDN’T STAND SEEING SHEDEUR TIE THE GAME WITH A 2-POINT CONVERSION AFTER SUCH A GREAT LONG TD DRIVE. FIRE STEFANSKI!
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) December 7, 2025
After the game, the head coach was asked about the play call during the press conference. Stefanski replied bluntly, saying, “Obviously, it did not go as we thought it would. I’m responsible for all of it”, and declined to answer specifically why such a key play did not have his quarterback with the ball in his hands.
The loss was extremely disappointing. The Titans had won just one game all season, and Sanders had a great game. He finished with 23/42 completed passes, 364 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. It was his best game in the pros by a considerable margin.
But the Titans, whose offense is ranked at No. 31 at our PFSN Offense Impact Metric, scored 31 points and dominated Cleveland’s defense, widely considered one of the best in the league despite the Browns’ poor record. In the battle of young quarterbacks, Ward was the winner, while Stefanski will be left to wonder what was going through his mind with his play calls.
