Shedeur Sanders Will Get His Third Consecutive Start
The Browns’ young quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, will continue to lead the team’s offense, according to coach Kevin Stefanski after the 26-8 loss to the 49ers. Sanders, selected in the 144th pick of this year’s draft, completed 16 of 25 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown in his first home start on Sunday. I’ll have to analyze it. Obviously, he’s struggling, like all our players. I know there are plays he wants to get back, but we’ll analyze and correct them. Coach Stefanski did not commit to confirming whether Sanders will be the starter for the rest of the season. Sanders connected on a 34-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. late in the second quarter, giving the Browns an 8-7 lead.Rookie running back Quinshon Judkins converted a 2-point attempt with a 1-yard run after the 49ers were penalized for too many players on the field. However, Cleveland couldn’t sustain the momentum. The Browns trailed 10-8 at halftime and didn’t score in the second half.
Even losing 10-8 with seven minutes remaining, the Browns decided to go for it on fourth down and one yard to go from their own 33-yard line, but Fannin fumbled the ball on a play attempt, and the 49ers recovered the ball. San Francisco’s quarterback, Brock Purdy, scored on a 2-yard run nine plays later to put Cleveland at a two-score disadvantage. This marked the second time in the game that the Browns failed on a fourth-down-and-short attempt; Judkins was stopped near the end zone on a run from the 49ers’ 20-yard line early in the first quarter, when Cleveland was losing 7-0.At the end of the last quarter, with the Browns losing 26-8, Sanders remained on the ground for a moment after slipping on a play. He was helped by a teammate, flexed his legs and walked off the field on his own, then returned after one play. Gabriel, who started six games before suffering a concussion in Week 11, which kept him out of the following game, came in for Sanders for the only play he was out.
The loss left the Browns with a 3-9 record, ensuring their fourth losing season in six years under Stefanski. It’s also Cleveland’s 23rd losing season in 27 seasons since returning to the NFL in 1999.This team won’t be an instant thing. We’ll have flashes here and there, but it will take time to develop that chemistry with everyone, to be on the same page with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Shedeur Sanders
