Quarterback Shedeur Sanders just turned in the best game of his young NFL career, and still had to watch the defining snap from the sideline. The Browns' rookie ripped the Titans for 364 passing yards, three touchdown throws, and a rushing score in a wild Week 14 loss, yet Kevin Stefanski took the ball out of his hands on the final two-point try.
Afterward, Sanders admitted he wanted that moment but refused to second-guess the call, saying via Scott Procter of DNVR Buffs that a quarterback always wants the ball, but “that’s not what football is,” and he’d “never go against what the call was.”
That measured tone is part of what has people inside and outside the building wanting to see more. As Albert Breer wrote in Sports Illustrated, Sanders “plays with fearlessness” and a clear feel for the position, and the stage “is not too big for him.”
Breer also admitted he’s tired of the hype cycle around a fifth-round pick, but still finds himself tuning in every week and wanting more snaps from the Cleveland rookie. The Browns feel the same way.
Cleveland came into the year wanting honest evaluations on both rookie quarterbacks, Sanders and third-rounder Dillon Gabriel. Gabriel made six starts earlier in the season; Sunday was Sanders’ third.
If he keeps the job for the final four games, the Browns will have slightly more tape on Sanders than Gabriel and a cleaner comparison between the two.
Stefanski’s late-game choices only added to the intrigue. Down 14, he chased points twice, going for two after Sanders’ rushing TD and failing, then pulling Sanders for a gadget two-point try after a Harold Fannin touchdown that also blew up, turning what could have been a tie game into a 31-29 loss.
The coach called the decisions “on me,” per Zac Jackson of The Athletic, but never really explained why Sanders wasn’t trusted on the final play.
For now, the Browns sit at 3-10, very much in the Caleb Williams–style sweepstakes of 2026, and already deep into studying the next quarterback class. Sanders is earning more opportunities and making the most of it, but Breer’s read is clear: Cleveland is gathering information, not building its entire future around him yet.
