Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders’s regular season NFL debut for the Cleveland Browns was far from memorable.
Sanders, the scrutinized fifth-round draft pick by the Browns in April, made a relief appearance Sunday in Cleveland after fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel exited the game to be evaluated for a head injury. And he struggled, completing just 4 of 16 passes as the Browns lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 23-16.
Sanders threw an interception and had a fumble that was recovered by the Browns. He threw for just 47 yards, was sacked twice and had an unsightly passer rating of 13.5. He rushed for 16 yards on three carries.
His lack of familiarity with the starting offense and the players on it, including wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, was evident.
“I don’t think I played good,” Sanders said during his postgame news conference. “I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable even throwing routes with Jerry and throwing routes with all those guys. So I think that was my first ball to him all year. … I just think overall we’ve just got to go next week and understand so then we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”
Still, he almost orchestrated some late-game comeback heroics. He nearly threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Gage Larvadain with just over a minute remaining on the Browns’ next-to-last offensive play. Larvadain had the ball in his grasp momentarily in the end zone, only to have it knocked away by Ravens cornerback Chidobe Awuzie.
That is an INCREDIBLE pass breakup by #Ravens CB Chidobe Awuzie: pic.twitter.com/br3TJ4Bqaz
— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) November 17, 2025
That incompletion came on a third-and-five play. Following a timeout by each team, Sanders threw incomplete toward tight end David Njoku on fourth down. The Ravens may have gotten away with an offside penalty that went uncalled on the play. They took possession with 57 seconds left and used two kneel-downs by quarterback Lamar Jackson to run out the clock.
“He’s going to battle like he does,” Browns Coach Kevin Stefanski said. “I’m sure there’s things that we can clean up. But those are things we’ll look at tomorrow.”
Sanders and the Browns may have to regroup quickly. With Gabriel in the concussion protocol, Sanders could make his first NFL start when the Browns (2-8) play next Sunday at Las Vegas.
“That’s all you can ask for, honestly, is the chance to get out there, get your feet wet, to experience how it feels to even be out there with the team, with the first group, with everybody,” Sanders said. “So it truly was exciting.”
Said Stefanski: “We trust all of our guys. We trust our guys to perform. He’s no different. … That’s tough to come in there. But we trust him. I know there’s things that he’s going to want to do better. But that’s why we work.”
Gabriel, a third-round selection in April, became the Browns’ starter when they traded veteran Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals last month. Sanders moved up to second on the depth chart.
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Sanders has been one of the league’s most polarizing players since he plummeted through the NFL draft order after some analysts originally regarded him as a first-round choice and one of the top quarterbacks available. The attention is nothing new to Sanders, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders. He thrived while being coached by his father in college at Jackson State and Colorado. But the early stages of his NFL career have been more challenging.
He spent training camp and the preseason as the Browns’ fourth quarterback behind Flacco, Kenny Pickett and Gabriel. He impressed in one preseason outing but struggled in another. He moved up to third on the depth chart when Pickett was traded to the Raiders before the season.
The Ravens on Sunday overcame four sacks by Browns star pass rusher Myles Garrett and won their fourth straight game to even their record at 5-5. It was a difficult day for Jackson, who threw two interceptions while connecting on 14 of 25 passes for 193 yards. But tailback Derrick Henry ran for 103 yards and a touchdown as the Ravens overcame a 13-3 deficit. Their winning touchdown came on a fake tush push involving tight end Mark Andrews.
The Ravens regularly use Andrews on their version of the Philadelphia Eagles’ signature short-yardage play. Andrews lined up under center on a fourth-and-one play Sunday. But instead of plowing directly forward and being shoved toward a first-down conversion by his teammates, Andrews maneuvered to the outside, found room to run and dashed for a 35-yard touchdown with 2:31 to play.
Sanders and the Browns could not quite put together a response from there.
“I know the only way is up for sure,” Sanders said.
MARK ANDREWS FAKES TUSH PUSH FOR 35-YARD TD RUN!
BALvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/Nd8MTxntDP— NFL (@NFL) November 17, 2025
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