Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders has shown signs of promise in his first few NFL starts, but Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans highlighted the learning curve that comes with adjusting to the professional level.
Sanders stepped in after a trade sent veteran Joe Flacco to Cincinnati and a concussion to QB2 Dillon Gabriel derailed his season. Week 14 is Sanders’ third start in the league.
Titans mock Shedeur Sanders After Sacking Him
In his first start in Week 12, Shedeur Sanders completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, becoming the first Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback to win his debut since 1995. For this start, PFSN QB Impact metric gave him a 72.8 score with a C- rating.
After a less impressive performance in his second game, Sanders entered Sunday’s matchup looking to build momentum against a Tennessee Titans team with a 1-11 record. Nevertheless, Tennessee players have previously emphasized that their focus was entirely on winning:
“We try to block outside noise out,” defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons said. “No matter if we were winning or right now we’re in the situation where we’re trying to find out how to win another game. You know we’re going up there with the mindset that we want to beat the Cleveland Browns. We’re trying to go 5-0 the rest of this year.”
And Simmons made a move that reflected just this. In the fourth quarter on 3rd-and-7, Simmons sacked Sanders and several Titans’ players, including him, celebrated using Sanders’ wrist-up move in front of the crowd.
Titans force another Browns turnover!!
📺: FOX pic.twitter.com/YKwE6yFt8A
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) December 7, 2025
The game began with the Titans jumping out to a 14-3 lead in the first quarter. Cleveland responded with a mix of passing and running plays, including a first-down connection from Sanders to Harold Fannin Jr. and a screen pass to Quinshon Judkins that turned into a scoring opportunity.
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Tennessee countered quickly, however, with a long touchdown run by Tony Pollard, forcing the Browns to settle for a field goal. Sanders displayed moments of precision, completing multiple consecutive passes during the first half, highlighted by a 60-yard touchdown strike to Jerry Jeudy late in the second quarter that put Cleveland ahead 17-14 at halftime.
The third quarter exposed the challenges for the rookie quarterback. The Titans regained control with another Pollard touchdown run, and Sanders threw an interception on a deep pass, giving Tennessee prime field position. Despite scrambling effectively and connecting on intermediate throws to Fannin and Jerome Ford, Cleveland’s offense struggled to sustain drives. Defensive pressure has become a recurring problem, most notably from Simmons, who recorded multiple sacks.
