CLEVELAND — Shedeur Sanders believed until the bitter end.
The rookie quarterback entered to start the second half Sunday when starter Dillon Gabriel was evaluated for a concussion and then ruled out. Sanders had never taken a snap in a regular-season game or worked with the first-team offense in practice. His first five possessions totaled 4 net yards, ending in four punts and an interception.
Yet he was convinced he’d lead the team into the end zone to force overtime, or win with a 2-point conversion. The Browns reached the Baltimore 25-yard line on the final drive in the two-minute drill, but three incompletions ended their hopes.
Ravens 23, Browns 16.
It didn’t happen, but Browns QB Shedeur Sanders said wasn’t doubt in his mind they were going to score on final drive. pic.twitter.com/PJj4yoCgo7
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“I know I’m made for it. I don’t think it was a doubt in my mind that that final drive was going to go down there and score,” said Sanders, who said he was excited for his debut and flashed his bright smile throughout the interview. “Things happened, we didn’t.”
The Browns fell to 2-8, 0-4 in the AFC North and 5-22 since the start of the 2024 season. They wasted another transformative performance from defensive end Myles Garrett, who had four sacks to give him 11 in the last four games and a league-leading 15 for the season. They got a touchdown on a pick-six from linebacker Devin Bush. A 24-yard Andre Szmyt field goal was set up by a Ravens muffed punt recovered by Grant Delpit at the 6-yard line.
The offense managed three field goals. It was shut out in the second half with Sanders.
“It’s embarrassing. Just leave it at that,” receiver Cedric Tillman said of the offense failing the defense yet again.
Scores of fans had been waiting for and wanting Sanders. The fifth-round pick and son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion is immensely popular across the country.
He was greeted with an ovation and encouraged the crowd to cheer louder. Some fans booed Gabriel in the first half and chanted for Sanders.
“I’m extremely thankful,” he said of the cheers. “First, let me say this. When Dillon’s out there playing, I appreciate the fans, but I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable, confident when he gets out there. So it puts everything in a tough spot and it’s not helping the team.
“But I’m thankful for the supporters, thankful for the fans, thankful for everybody out there that believes.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders grateful for fans’ support, says Dillon Gabriel needs support when he’s out there. pic.twitter.com/g48RWtzm6T
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His performance wasn’t what they envisioned.
His first play was a 5-yard completion to Tillman. Things went downhill from there.
He went 4-for-16 for 47 yards, an interception, two sacks and a 13.5 passer rating. He also had a near interception, a fumble recovered by the Browns and an intentional grounding. He held the ball too long on some plays and made ill-advised decisions on others.
He looked like a rookie in his first NFL action.
Coach Kevin Stefanski said Gabriel would start next week in Las Vegas if he clears the concussion protocol but noted “a lot goes into that.” Sanders would start if Gabriel doesn’t.
“Playing a backup quarterback role, as we’ve talked about over the years, that’s tough to come in there, but we trust him,” Stefanski said of Sanders. “Shedeur’s made unbelievable strides in the meeting room on the practice field. I know he wants to be better and he will be better, but that’s just going to come from hard work.”
As the Browns failed to score, the Ravens managed a pair of Tyler Loop field goals, from 24 and 44 yards, to tie it at 16 with 4:59 left.
Derrick Henry’s 59-yard run at the end of the third quarter set up the first one. Cornerback Denzel Ward chased him down to save a touchdown. The second field goal was possible after Lamar Jackson threw 18 yards to Zay Flowers on third-and-10 from the Baltimore 35-yard line. He also threw a 17-yard screen to Keaton Mitchell on second-and-10.
The winner was a great play call as the Ravens improved to 5-5.
On fourth-and-1 from the Cleveland 35, tight end Mark Andrews lined up at quarterback in a bunched formation that signaled sneak. He turned, spun and went around the right end and all the way to the end zone with 2:31 left.
“You think sneak in those situations and we just got to be ready in all phases,” said rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger, who had an interception and a game-high 10 tackles, including two for loss. “It’s a hard play to stop, especially when you’re trying to stop the sneak because of how that play works and just try and see anything you can that’ll give you a key that they’re not running the sneak there.”
Sanders, with backups at both tackles due to in-game injuries, opened the final possession with a 25-yard completion to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. He hit receiver Jerry Jeudy, who broke tackles for 10 yards and a first down.
Sanders threw two balls into the end zone. The first came when he got outside the pocket and had Isaiah Bond open on the scramble drill but threw wide. The next was a good pass for Gage Larvadain that was broken up by Chidobe Awuzie. On fourth-and-5, Sanders was pressured and threw incomplete to David Njoku near the first down marker.
“I don’t think I played good at all,” Sanders said. “It’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.”
Garrett’s latest huge day came in another loss. He had five sacks Oct. 26 in a loss to the Patriots. He’s making a strong case for a second NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award in the last three seasons.
“Thinking about the things I could have done, not going to put it on anything other than myself. The first thing I do is look in the mirror,” he said. “It’s a blessing to have an opportunity to have five, four, however many it is, so I’m just grateful for that.”
Gabriel, who’s 1-5 as the starter, went 7-for-10 for 68 yards and an 88.8 passer rating.
Jackson went 14-for-25 for 193 yards, two interceptions and a 47.6 rating. He rushed four times for 10 yards.
Henry rushed 18 times for 103 yards, a 5.7 average and a touchdown.
The Ravens made plenty of mistakes, but the Browns failed to take full advantage.
One play they did was when Bush intercepted a deflected Jackson pass and went 23 yards for a touchdown, breaking tackles to make it into the end zone.
The Browns used the score to lead the Ravens 16-10 at halftime. They couldn’t finish.
“Losing isn’t something I’m comfortable with at all,” Sanders said. “I’ve just got to take this one. I’ve got to understand this really happened on my watch, so I don’t like the feeling and I know offensively if I’m able to get out there and have an opportunity, I know that I’ll be able to take everything to a different level.”
Garrett said Sanders talked to the team after the game and put the blame on himself.
“We’re not going to allow him to do that,” Garrett said. “It’s a team game, so we’re all in this together.”
Browns Myles Garrett told Shedeur Sanders to keep his head up. pic.twitter.com/6X9z6VYRm4
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