Shedeur Sanders’ Horrific NFL Browns Debut Has Fans Trolling Him – “Don’t Even Think Zach Wilson Was This Bad”

Shedeur Sanders had 13.54 quarterback rating in his Browns debut.

Shedeur Sanders’ Horrific NFL Browns Debut Has Fans Trolling Him – “Don’t Even Think Zach Wilson Was This Bad”

Shedeur Sanders made his Browns debut in a loss against the Ravens (Image via IMAGO)

Shedeur Sanders finally made his debut for the Cleveland Browns. Sanders replaced Dillon Gabriel in the second quarter against the Baltimore Ravens’ fixture of Week 11.

The 23-year-old waited patiently for his moment. His first two appearances for the Browns came during preseason games, including a win over the Panthers, where he threw 2 touchdowns and completed 60% of his passes.

He missed the second game due to injury and came on as a late substitute in the third game against the Rams. The Rams’ pass rush limited Sanders to just 6 pass attempts and sacked him multiple times.

With Joe Flacco being the senior head in the locker room, Kevin Stefanski gave him the starting quarterback job. Flacco lasted four games before being shipped to Cincinnati.

The duty fell on third-round rookie Gabriel. Sanders remained the third choice behind Bailey Zappe. Gabriel won just one game from seven but retained his position as the starter.

In Week 11, the Browns hosted the red-hot Ravens at the Dawgpound. The Ravens won the reverse fixture 41-17 in Week 2, but Lamar Jackson and co. found it hard to break down the Browns on Sunday.

Luckily for the Ravens, the Browns’ offense wasn’t clicking. Kicker Andre Szmyt scored two field goals before the Browns defense forced a pick-6 from Jackson.

Derrick Henry reduced the gap to three points. In the ensuing drive, Gabriel suffered a concussion on a designed run play, and the Browns had to kick a field goal.

Myles Garrett foiled the Ravens’ next drive at the beginning of the second half by sacking Jackson. This gave Shedeur Sanders the chance to step into his very first NFL game.

Shedeur Sanders’ debut for the Browns goes wrong

The much-anticipated debut of Sanders was met with massive cheers from the Cleveland crowd. His first career completion to Cedric Tillman injected a rush of adrenaline, which they have been missing since the days of Baker Mayfield and Odell Beckham Jr.

Shedeur Sanders' Horrific NFL Browns Debut Has Fans Trolling Him - "Don't Even Think Zach Wilson Was This Bad"
#12 Shedeur Sanders and #5 Dillon Gabriel (Image via IMAGO)

However, that was the high point of Sanders’ debut. His first drive ended with two sacks taken and a punt. His evening worsened when his throw was intercepted by the Ravens’ rookie DB Nate Wiggins in only his second drive. It did not cost the Browns as Jackson threw a pick in the ensuing play.

The Ravens dealt the final nail in the coffin when tight end Mark Andrews broke two tackles to score a touchdown with a little over two minutes left on the clock. The game ended in a 23-16 loss for the Browns.

Shedeur Sanders finished his career game with 4 completions from 16 pass attempts for 47 yards and 1 interception, along with 3 carries for 16 yards. He recorded a quarterback rating of 13.54.

Despite the disappointing loss, Garrett, who had 4 sacks in the game (15.5 in total for the season), told Sanders to keep his chin up.

I know he wants to make the play. He wants to have that game-changing drive because he feels like he has that ability, and we’ve seen it… [I told him] don’t be discouraged from one drive or two drives, it’s a good football team over there. Just try to keep his confidence high and keep on chasing that standard he set for himself. We’re going to continue to support him.

Myles Garrett said (H/T: Leah Doherty of Cleveland19)

Until there’s confirmed news on Gabriel’s well-being, it’s safe to assume Sanders could start next week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

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