Cleveland Browns
Browns' Shedeur Sanders Gets Blasted by Saints Players 1
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders got his first start of the season on Sunday, and it ended in a 23-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Sanders played fairly well, going 19-for-31 with 297 yards and a couple of touchdowns, but it was his comments prior to the game that took center stage in the affair.
When asked about the Saints’ defense in the lead up to the contest, Sanders smirked and said, “When I smile, just know that means something. … I could have gave that a decent answer, but now I’m just going to smile.”
Needless to say, New Orleans took Sanders’ remarks personally.
After the game concluded, Saints players made it clear that they remembered Sanders’ jab, and defensive end Carl Granderson put the quarterback on blast following the matchup.
Browns’ Shedeur Sanders gets taken to task by Saints
Shedeur Sanders, Cleveland Browns
Nov 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) makes a throw against the New Orleans Saints during the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
“We seen a lot on film [appearing to mock Sanders’ earlier remarks], so I don’t think we were motivated, though. I think it’s disrespectful for somebody to laugh at our defense, to take us as a joke,” Granderson said. “So we went out and balled out.”
Balled out is probably a little bit of a stretch, seeing as how the Browns did finish with 355 yards and Sanders had a pretty solid day under center, but the Saints did sack the second-year signal-caller five times. Granderson was responsible for two of them himself.
New Orleans improved to 3-5 with the win and is still very much alive in the NFC South, which is an incredibly winnable division halfway through the 2026 NFL campaign.
Meanwhile, the Browns fell to 5-4, having lost their second straight game.
Deshaun Watson was sidelined after having suffered a concussion the week prior. He cleared concussion protocol on Saturday, but Cleveland still sat him as a precaution.
The Browns seem likely to switch back to Watson next week against the Houston Texans.