In his third NFL start, Shedeur Sanders looked very good until a costly mistake in the third quarter.
Sanders is now 1-2 as the Cleveland Browns’ starting quarterback after a narrow 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans, who are now 2-11. Sanders finished 23-of-42 for 364 yards, three touchdowns and one interception.
Sanders’ late interception swung the game’s momentum at a crucial time for Cleveland (3-10). The rookie QB faced pressure in the pocket on second-and-20, but was able to settle his feet before launching a contested pass downfield. The pass was picked off by Titans safety Xavier Woods and returned 35 yards into Browns territory; two plays later, running back Tony Pollard delivered his second long run of the game on a 32-yard touchdown.
Despite the untimely turnover, the Browns nearly pulled off a comeback victory with a furious fourth-quarter rally. The Titans scored 10 unanswered points after scoring another TD after a lost fumble by Browns RB Dylan Sampson, and a blocked punt on the next drive set up a field goal.
Amazingly, the Browns followed bounced back with consecutive TD drives, with Sanders scoring on a 7-yard run and tossing a 7-yard pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. The defense was unable to force a turnover, however, as Tennessee managed the clock on its way to a win.
Despite falling short, Cleveland appeared to find a groove after two big plays in the first half. The first was a screen pass to RB Quinshon Judkins for 58 yards late in the first quarter. Three plays later, Sanders delivered a one-yard touchdown pass to TE David Njoku early in the second quarter.
Later in the second, the Browns went 74 yards on three plays for their second touchdown. The drive started with a 14-yard run from Sanders, and then he found wide receiver Jerry Jeudy on a crossing route over the middle of the field for a 60-yard TD.
Sanders’ two wins have come against teams that have a combined three wins for the season, but his numbers between the two games are solid. He was 11-of-20 for 209 yards against Las Vegas, although he was 16-of-25 for 149 yards last week against the 49ers.
The Browns’ schedule gets significantly more difficult over the next three weeks, starting with a Week 15 trip to Chicago on Dec. 14 on FOX. After that, the Browns are home to face the Bills and Steelers on Dec. 21 and 28 before ending the season on the road against the Bengals.
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