The Cleveland Browns ended up losing once again in Week 11, this time falling to the AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens by a final score of 23-16. Shedeur Sanders made his NFL debut in the second half of the loss after fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel went down with a concussion.
While the fans were thrilled to see Sanders take the field, what actually happened during the game was not great.
Sanders completed just four of his 16 passing attempts for 47 yards, no touchdowns, and an interception. He also picked up 16 yards on three rushing attempts.
Needless to say, those numbers were not what fans or the Browns were hoping to see. However, Sanders has not received many reps in Cleveland and a rough first outing was to be expected.
Following his NFL debut, former NFL star wide receiver Greg Jennings did not hold back about Sanders. He ripped into the rookie quarterback for not being ready to play when called upon.
"It was so disappointing because he's had time to learn,” Jennings said. “When your time comes, you can't miss like this."
Jennings isn’t wrong. Sanders did not come through with a good performance. In fact, he was downright bad.
Even though he deserves some criticism for the way he played in his debut, Sanders has not received a ton of help from the coaching staff on the Browns. Kevin Stefanski and company have received a lot of criticism for the way they have handled Sanders to this point in his young career.
At this point in time, it’s expected that Sanders will make his first career start in Week 12 when Cleveland takes on the Las Vegas Raiders on the road. He’ll have a full week to prepare as the starter. Perhaps his second performance will be better.
If he is unable to take a big leap forward after a full week of work as the starting quarterback, Sanders is going to receive much heavier criticism. More should be expected from him. That isn’t to say that he should be given a pass for last week’s dismal outing, but he does deserve some grace.
All of that being said, it will be interesting to see what Sanders’ first NFL start has in store for him, assuming Gabriel is indeed out next week.
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