Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders won the battle in the box score against No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward but wasn’t able to lead his team to victory.
Sanders passed for 364 yards and accounted for four touchdowns — three passing and one rushing — in the 31-29 loss to Ward and the Titans. Ward didn’t have to do as much in the win, with the Titans leaning on their running game. The top pick completed 50% of his passes for 117 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
Ward and Sanders have a relationship that dates back to their college days. They even trained together ahead of the draft. After the game, Ward
“Real good catching up with him. Just let him know I’m here for him, excited to see him keep going. He’s going to continue to make plays for Cleveland,” Ward said. “He’s a real good quarterback. I’m excited to have him as a friend.”
Sanders tried not to overplay the matchup heading into it.
“Cam’s competitive, it’s always fun, getting out there, training with him,” Sanders said during the week. “And then, we both ended up getting drafted, and we both went our separate ways. And that’s really everybody that I played in college with almost, everybody’s focused on what they got to do, and it’s all love whenever we see each other.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Proving Doubters Wrong
Ward went No. 1 overall, just as most expected. Sanders, once projected as a top-five talent and pegged by many evaluators as the quarterback right behind Ward, tumbled to the fifth round — all the way to pick No. 144.
He’s still a developmental player, but Sanders has already shown he belongs. The rookie has been steady, poised and at times dynamic, flashing the accuracy and touch that made many fall in love with him. His performance against the Titans was one of his more promising outings, highlighted by a pair of tight-window touchdown throws in the red zone.
“You know, a lot of circumstances will sometimes get you mentally not in your best place. And you got to find your happy place,” Sanders said. “You got to find that it for you. So, I think that’s kind of it. I’ve been praying and doing a lot, you know, talking to God this week in general, to get back to that place. It’s him. He the one did it for me.”
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Looking to Find Spark
Sanders didn’t make many mistakes against the Titans. But a big one was an ill-advised interception in the third quarter that Tennessee flipped into a touchdown. Sanders was able to bounce back from the turnover with some highlight reel plays.
“I feel we got stagnant. I’m trying to get a spark,” Sanders said. “I would say as time goes on, those decisions and those things will slim down. And we won’t be in situations where I have that feeling like I got to make something happen.”
Sanders is expected to start the final four games of the season for the Browns. It gives him some runway to prove he can be a long-term option for Cleveland. Next up is a road matchup against the Chicago Bears.
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