The Cleveland Browns had no choice but to put Shedeur Sanders into their game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, though the team left him in a hard spot for his first-ever NFL action.
Sanders came into the contest during the second half after the training staff sidelined starter and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel due to a head injury, putting him into the league’s mandatory concussion protocol.
But Sanders had never taken a regular-season snap before that moment, and head coach Kevin Stefanski admitted in recent weeks that he wasn’t getting any action with the first-team offense during practice because Gabriel needed that work as QB1.
That came back to bite the Browns, as Baltimore mounted a rally and won the game 23-16. Following the loss, Sanders spoke to media members and wryly acknowledged his lack of preparation from the coaching staff.
“I don’t think I played good at all,” Sanders said.
“There’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week, and go and just get comfortable even throwing routes, you know, with Jerry [Jeudy] and throwing routes with all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year,” Sanders said with a smile and a chuckle.
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
While Sanders appeared to call out Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees by joking that he hasn’t thrown a pass to Jeudy, the team’s WR1 all year, he also took full accountability for his poor play.
Sanders finished the day 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards with an interception and a fumble.
“[An opportunity is] all you can ask for honestly — a chance to get out there, get your feet wet, to experience how it feels to even be out there with the team, with the first group, with everybody. So I truly was excited,” Sanders said. “They gave me an opportunity, and I didn’t [perform] up to my expectations, enough to get us a win.”
It is unclear if Sanders will get another opportunity next week against the Las Vegas Raiders, as Gabriel navigates the concussion protocol. But Stefanski did confirm that Gabriel will remain the starter if, and when, he returns healthy.
GettyCleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Despite Sanders’ struggles, Cleveland had the football on Baltimore’s 25-yard line with a fourth-and-five and just over a minute remaining on the clock.
The Ravens appeared to jump offsides ahead of the play, and the resulting pressure on Sanders led him to throw an incomplete pass that lost the team the game.
Stefanski acknowledged during his postgame press conference that he believed the Ravens defense was offsides, and offensive guard Wyatt Teller was visibly angry on the sideline following the lack of a call.
An offsides penalty wouldn’t have necessarily changed the outcome, though it would have moved the Browns to the cusp of the red zone with approximately a half-yard to gain for a first down.
Wide receiver Gage Larvadain dropped a pass from Sanders in the end zone a couple of plays prior, which would have given Cleveland the touchdown it needed and a chance to tie the score with an extra point.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were looking to avoid losing two straight coming out of their bye week in Week 11 against the Buffalo Bills, but things unfortunately did not work out that way, as they will head into Week 12 after losing 44-32.
The 44 points put up by the Bills is not something that usually happens against a Todd Bowles-led defense. Many fans have voiced their concern about the defense during and following the game, and that also includes former Tampa Bay legend Gerald McCoy, who summed up the defense’s afternoon with a simple “44 points” and a face-palm emoji.
The Buccaneers held the Bills’ offense, led by Josh Allen and James Cook, in check to start the game, but after the first quarter, everything fell apart.
Tampa Bay hadn’t allowed more than 40 points during the Bowles era, so it can be a bit concerning moving forward, albeit going up against last season’s MVP. The last time the Bucs’ defense allowed more than 40 points was when the Seattle Seahawks beat them 40-34 in overtime back in 2019.
While the defense was solid in some areas, like limiting the Bills’ rushing attack to under 100 yards and the first career interception from Jacob Parrish, it was mostly picked on for much of the day by Allen, who had yet another record-setting day, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for three as well.
It’s difficult not to be upset with the performance by the defense against the Bills like McCoy is. The Bucs struggled in coverage throughout the day in the back-and-forth affair, especially once Jamel Dean, who is arguably the best corner in the league this season, left the game due to a hip injury.
With Dean out, rookie Benjamin Morrison stepped in, but he once again had a poor performance. Morrison getting more playing time has been a talking point since Week 10’s loss to the Patriots, where he struggled, so the hope is that Dean’s injury isn’t serious.
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Bucs defense in Week 12 as they make the cross-country trip to Los Angeles, where they will take on a surging Rams team.