CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Browns delivered a dominating 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
The big news going into the game, as it was throughout the entire NFL, was rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders getting his first career start.
Sanders was solid, completing 11 of his 20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
His biggest highlight was his 52-yard bomb to Isaiah Bond late in the first quarter that set up Cleveland’s second touchdown drive.
It was a play that even Raiders head coach Pete Carroll spoke of after the game. He complimented Sanders’ ability to make that kind of pass, and felt that’s what changed the tone of the game.
“The play of the game was really that scramble play. That was an extraordinary ball that (Sanders) threw on that one,” Carroll said. “That was the kind of dagger in the ball game as it turned out, that changed things.”
Sanders rolled right and dipped away from Tyree Wilson, getting rid of the ball before Devin White and Maxx Crosby could reach him.
Sanders’ deep-ball ability was something that he showed during his underwhelming NFL debut in the Week 11 loss. During the two-minute drill in that game, he delivered a 25-yarder to Harold Fannin Jr.
Cleveland hasn’t done well when throwing it deep.
On passes that traveled 20 or more yards downfield, Joe Flacco completed four of his 18 deep shots when with the Browns, and Dillon Gabriel has completed only two of his eight attempts, per Pro Football Focus.
Counting today, Sanders already has three deep-ball completions, per PFF.
The 52-yarder benefited the Browns during Sunday’s win and is something for Sanders to build upon.
And for an offense that entered Sunday averaging the fewest yards gained per play (4.0), efficiently throwing the deep-ball could help in the long-run.
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