For much of Sunday’s game, Shedeur Sanders struggled to make much happen. But a handful of important plays—including a terrific late throw that helped Cleveland force overtime—may have left some Browns fans wondering whether the 24-year-old should take over as the team’s starting quarterback.
Sanders completed 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns, without an interception, in the Browns’ 23–22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. The numbers look solid. They don’t quite capture how uneven his performance was.
He got the start after Deshaun Watson entered concussion protocol during the week. Watson was cleared on Saturday, but Cleveland kept him inactive. Coach Todd Monken had named Sanders the starter on Friday, after Watson missed team practices.
It was another opportunity for Sanders, who started seven games as a rookie last season, to make a case for the job. For a while, the case wasn’t especially convincing.
Sanders had only 38 passing yards in the first half and was sacked five times for a loss of 37 yards. He looked uncomfortable at times, and two sacks came on Cleveland possessions inside the 5-yard line. The Browns managed just three points across those two goal-to-go chances.
One of the opportunities began with a remarkable play by receiver Denzel Boston. Sanders missed a wide-open Boston with an underthrown pass, but Boston adjusted, made the catch over a defender and carried the ball to the Saints’ 4-yard line for a 60-yard gain.
After Cleveland lost a yard on the next play, Sanders was sacked for seven yards, pushing the Browns back to the 12. They settled for a field goal.
In the fourth quarter, with Cleveland down 9–6, Sanders hit KC Concepcion for a 64-yard touchdown that put the Browns ahead with 5:21 to play. Concepcion had plenty of room after what appeared to be a coverage breakdown. He caught the ball at the Saints’ 28, cut across the field and outran two defenders to score.
Sanders deserves credit for spotting Concepcion and giving him a catchable pass. Still, it was the kind of throw an NFL quarterback is expected to make when a receiver is that open.
Cleveland’s defense soon forced a punt, giving the Browns a chance to run down the clock and win in regulation. Sanders scrambled for a first down, but a holding penalty and another sack stalled the drive. New Orleans got the ball back and scored to lead 16–13 with 58 seconds remaining.
On the next possession, facing third-and-6 from his own 30, Sanders rolled outside the pocket and threw a 30-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy while taking a heavy hit from Chase Young. It was his best throw of the day, and arguably one of the best of his young NFL career. The Browns were able to move into range for Andre Szmyt’s 51-yard field goal, which tied the game with eight seconds left.
Cleveland won the overtime coin toss and chose to kick. The Saints then drove 74 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown.
Sanders responded by completing six of eight passes on a 67-yard scoring drive. Harold Fannin Jr. did much of the work on the touchdown, catching a short pass just past the line of scrimmage, breaking several tackles and turning it into a 39-yard score.
The Browns went for two and the win. New Orleans’ pass rush quickly put Sanders under pressure, and he scrambled right before throwing an incomplete pass intended for Boston. The game was over.
Boston’s catch, Concepcion’s touchdown and Fannin’s catch-and-run accounted for 163 of Sanders’ 297 passing yards. His receivers helped make his final numbers look better, though he also delivered a big throw when Cleveland badly needed one.
Before the game, Monken said he expected Watson to remain the starter once healthy. But Watson’s play has yet to firmly settle the question. Cleveland came into Sunday at 5–3, with every win decided by four points or fewer, a record that can make a quarterback’s season look better than the performance itself.
Sanders showed some of the same inconsistency on Sunday. He also helped get the Browns into position to win late, and made a standout throw under pressure. If Cleveland is going to get uneven quarterback play either way, it’s reasonable to wonder whether Sanders should get the chance to develop through the ups and downs.
