For most of Sunday’s game, Shedeur Sanders looked a lot like Deshaun Watson (with regard to his play, not the … other stuff).
But a few key plays, including one of the best throws of Sanders’ young career to help set up a game-tying field goal, are likely to have Browns fans demanding that the team turn the keys over to the 24-year-old son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders.
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Sanders finished 19-of-31 for 297 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in Cleveland’s 23-22 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints. Those numbers look pretty good, but they also make his afternoon look quite a bit better than it actually was.
Which, again, sounds a lot like Watson’s season.
Sanders got his first start of the year after Watson entered the concussion protocol during the week. Watson cleared the protocol Saturday, but the Browns still made him inactive Sunday. Head coach Todd Monken had already named Sanders the starter Friday after Watson was unable to participate in team reps during the week.
That gave Sanders, who started seven games as a rookie last season, another chance to prove he deserves to be the team’s starter moving forward. For much of the afternoon, he didn’t do a whole lot with it.
Sanders threw for just 38 yards in the first half and was sacked five times for a loss of 37 yards on the day. He didn’t look entirely comfortable, and some of those sacks were particularly costly. Cleveland’s first two goal-to-go possessions produced three points, with Sanders taking a sack on each.
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The second of those opportunities came courtesy of a tremendous effort by Browns receiver Denzel Boston. Sanders underthrew a wide-open Boston down the sideline, but Boston adjusted to the throw, snatched it over the defender and then took it inside the Saints’ 5-yard line for a 60-yard completion.
After a run went backward, Sanders took a seven-yard sack that pushed Cleveland back to the 12. The Browns settled for a field goal.
With Cleveland trailing 9-6 in the fourth quarter, Sanders found KC Concepcion for a 64-yard score. It was a huge play that gave the Browns the lead with 5:21 remaining, but Concepcion was wide open on what appeared to be a blown coverage by New Orleans. Concepcion caught the pass at the Saints’ 28-yard line, then made a nice move to cut back across the field to outrun two Saints defenders into the end zone.
Sanders deserves credit for finding the wide-open Concepcion and delivering a catchable ball that gave him room to work. But it was a throw that every NFL quarterback should be able to make.
Cleveland then had a chance to run out the clock and win in regulation after its defense forced a punt. Sanders picked up a first down with his legs, but a holding penalty and another sack helped derail the possession. New Orleans got the ball back and scored a touchdown to take a 16-13 lead with 58 seconds left.
Facing third-and-6 from his own 30 on the ensuing drive, Sanders moved outside the pocket and fired a 30-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy while taking a massive hit from Chase Young. It was easily his best throw of the afternoon and one of the best of his young NFL career. It was probably the best throw by a Browns quarterback this season, too.
Sanders eventually led the Browns into position for Andre Szmyt’s 51-yard field goal, which tied the game with eight seconds remaining and forced the game to overtime.
The Browns won the toss and elected to kick, something I’ve repeatedly said is the wrong decision for NFL teams. Cleveland ignored my advice, and New Orleans promptly marched 74 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown.
Sanders answered by completing six of eight passes on a 67-yard touchdown drive. Harold Fannin Jr., though, deserves most of the credit for the play that brought Cleveland within a point.
Fannin caught a short pass just beyond the line of scrimmage, broke multiple tackles and turned it into a 39-yard touchdown.
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Cleveland went for a two-point conversion and the win, but the New Orleans pass rush immediately pressured Sanders. He scrambled to his right before throwing an incomplete pass intended for Boston, ending the game.
Boston’s catch, Concepcion’s touchdown and Fannin’s catch-and-run accounted for 163 of Sanders’ 297 passing yards. His receivers did a lot of work to make that final line look as good as it did.
Before Sunday’s game, Monken said he assumed Watson would remain the starter when healthy. But Watson hasn’t exactly done enough to cement his status as the Browns’ starting quarterback.
Cleveland entered Sunday at 5-3, with all five victories coming by four points or fewer. Their record has made Watson’s season look better than his actual play.
Sanders showed plenty of the same problems Sunday. He also delivered a terrific throw when the Browns desperately needed one and helped put them in position to win in overtime.
If the Browns are going to get uneven quarterback play no matter who starts, it’s fair to ask why the 24-year-old shouldn’t be the one getting the opportunity to develop through it.