![\"Shedeur](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/xg6nglhvk7cyvrpixlxr-1763437975-q80.webp\")
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The\u00a0Cleveland Browns\u00a0fans boomed with approval as quarterback\u00a0Shedeur Sanders\u00a0entered an\u00a0NFL\u00a0game for the first time in the second half of the team\u2019s Week 11 contest against the\u00a0Baltimore Ravens, but the rookie didn\u2019t give them much to cheer about after that.<\/p>\n
Sanders finished the day\u00a04-of-16 passing for 47 yards\u00a0and an interception. He also rushed for 16 yards, took two sacks and fumbled once, though Cleveland recovered. Reporters asked Sanders during the postgame about his performance and the fan\u2019s reaction to both him finally getting in a game and fellow rookie\u00a0Dillon Gabriel\u00a0leaving due to a mandatory entrance into the league\u2019s concussion protocol.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Dillon out there playing and all that, I appreciate the fans, I appreciate everybody. But I\u2019m a good person overall, so I don\u2019t really like him not feeling comfortable, confident when he get out there. So it puts everything in a tough spot, and it\u2019s not helping the team,\u201d Sanders said of fans\u2019 previous booing of Gabriel during his struggles.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo, that could be taken as, \u2018OK, I\u2019m being a distraction,\u2019 even though I ain\u2019t doing that, even though I\u2019m not doing nothing,\u201d\u00a0Sanders continued. \u201cBut I\u2019m thankful for the supporters, thankful for the fans, thankful for everybody out there that believes. And yeah, when I got out there, I definitely felt them, and I\u2019m truly thankful for it. \u2026 Thankful seeing all them 12 jerseys out there, and it was a great feeling for that. But the feeling of losing, that ain\u2019t nothing we going to get comfortable with on my watch, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabriel remains in concussion protocol and while it\u2019s possible doctors could clear him ahead of the team\u2019s Week 12 matchup with the\u00a0Las Vegas Raiders next weekend, it is likely that Sanders will get the first start of his career in the desert.<\/p>\n
The Browns must practice this week as though Sanders is going to be the starter, as Gabriel\u2019s status is uncertain. Because of that, the coaching staff is likely to tailor the game plan to Sanders\u2019 strengths and finally afford him the first-team practice reps he\u2019s been lacking since joining the franchise in the fifth round of April\u2019s draft.<\/p>\n
\u201cSanders is expected to start Sunday\u2019s game vs. the Raiders in Las Vegas, and fourth-year pro\u00a0Bailey Zappe\u00a0will be the backup,\u201d\u00a0Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported Monday. \u201cSanders, who had his house broken into during Sunday\u2019s 23-16 loss to the Ravens, will be the 42nd quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999, barring some unexpected occurrence.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, head coach\u00a0Kevin Stefanski\u00a0was clear that Gabriel\u00a0will get his starting job back\u00a0from Sanders once he returns healthy.<\/p>\n
Cleveland, now 2-8, was likely to insert Sanders into the starting lineup at some point late in the season to assess his abilities and the QB room as a whole before a 2026 draft, in which the team has two first-round picks. It is unclear if one and a half games will be enough information for the Browns where Sanders is concerned, should Gabriel return healthy following this weekend.<\/p>\n
Suffice it to say, Cleveland\u2019s upcoming game in Las Vegas is the most important of Sanders\u2019 football career.<\/p>\n
Dan Campbell of the\u00a0Detroit Lions\u00a0isn\u2019t the kind of coach who ever plays it safe, and that can be a good or bad quality, depending on what day it is and what\u2019s happening on the field. The Detroit Lions and\u00a0Philadelphia Eagles\u00a0had a\u00a0\u201cSunday Night Football\u201d\u00a0matchup on Sunday, November 16, and it was one of those nights where a more conservative approach would have benefited the Lions.<\/p>\n
The Eagles beat the Lions in a low-scoring,\u00a016-9 game, and Campbell was the one calling the offensive plays. He did something not many head coaches in the NFL do by taking over the offensive\u00a0play calling duties\u00a0from offensive coordinator John Morton for this game, as he also did for the team\u2019s game against the\u00a0Washington Commanders\u00a0on November 9. Campbell also says that he\u2019ll be doing it for the rest of the season.<\/p>\n
In those play calls, Campbell went for it on fourth, which is no surprise. But, the Lions were 0-for-5 on fourth down in the loss, and two of those failed fourth down attempts came in field goal range. On top of that, two of the other fourth down attempts were in their own territory, and those resulted in field goals for Philly.<\/p>\n
This was like gambling at a different level. To go for it on basically every fourth is pretty much unheard of in the\u00a0NFL\u00a0or at any level of football.<\/p>\n
So, will Campbell change? Don\u2019t expect to see a change,\u00a0although speaking to the media\u00a0on Monday, November 17, the coach admitted that playing it safe would have been best.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s some things I wish I would have done different,\u201d he said. \u201cThe bottom line is, if you go totally conservative in the way this game played out, in the way it was, you\u2019ve got a better chance of winning that game than some of those decisions I made.\u201d<\/p>\n
But, here\u2019s where Campbell doubled down on his fourth down calls and identity. \u201cI understand that. But also, that\u2019s who we are. That\u2019s who I am, and it bit us today,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
So, don\u2019t expect Campbell to change. But, he might think twice before going as chancy as he did on Monday against the Eagles.<\/p>\n
According to NFL research, Detroit\u00a0Lions quarterback\u00a0Jared Goff\u00a0had the lowest completion percentage of his career, and even though Goff\u00a0threw for 255 yards, he only\u00a0completed 38 percent of his passes\u00a0and finished with a passer rating of 60.1.\u00a0Jahmyr Gibbs\u00a0and\u00a0David Montgomery\u00a0also struggled, although Gibbs led Detroit with five receptions for 107 yards.<\/p>\n
But, Campbell also had some kind things to say about the Lions, though. Chatting with the press, he said that the team \u201cfelt like we moved the ball pretty decently at times throughout the game and got down there and stall out a few times and obviously the fourth downs weren\u2019t good enough.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added, \u201cGive a ton of credit to them. They are a good defense. We like to think, if we were able to get a fourth down or two, it changes the game and even some of those third downs. But they played well and we weren\u2019t even close to up to snuff today.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The\u00a0Cleveland Browns\u00a0fans boomed with approval as quarterback\u00a0Shedeur Sanders\u00a0entered an\u00a0NFL\u00a0game for the first time in the second half of the team\u2019s Week 11 contest against the\u00a0Baltimore Ravens, but the rookie didn\u2019t give them…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15967,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t