After a long wait, Shedeur Sanders finally got his chance to impress in Week 11 of his rookie season for the Cleveland Browns, yet his debut did not go to plan in their defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.
Sanders came into the game in the third quarter after Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion. But the Browns’ fifth-round pick, whose slide to day three was the story of this year’s draft, did nothing in his debut to suggest he should have been taken higher. Speaking in his postgame press conference, Sanders gave an honest assessment of his performance.
Shedeur Sanders Kept His Response Real
Sanders finished the game with a brutal stat line, going 4-16 for 47 yards and an interception as the Browns let a 13-3 lead slip in a 23-16 loss to their AFC North rivals.
The defeat dropped the Browns to 2-8 on the season, though Sanders still saw the positives in finally getting on the field.
“That’s all you can ask for,” Sanders said. “A chance to get out there and get your feet wet. To experience how it feels to even be out there with the team. I truly was excited.”
Yet Sanders accepted his display fell substantially short of what was required as the Browns attempted to secure an upset win.
“It gave me an opportunity. I didn’t do up my expectation, enough to get us a win, I’ve just got to take that one to the chin,” he added.
To be fair to Sanders, it is very difficult for any quarterback to come into the game cold, especially when piloting an offense that ranked last in the league in PFSN’s Impact metrics heading into the week.
If Gabriel’s concussion keeps him out of Week 12, when the Browns will make the trip to the desert to face the Las Vegas Raiders, the hope will be that Sanders takes advantage of a more favorable matchup and builds an argument for starting the rest of the way.
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Yet even that matchup is not without its dangers for Sanders. If he does start against Las Vegas, he will have to face one of the most formidable pass rushers in the league in the form of Maxx Crosby.
As such, quick and significant improvement from Sanders will be needed if he is to have realistic hopes of proving to the Browns that he can be the answer under center. His long-awaited debut was bad, and the second act must be much better.