Even when Shedeur Sanders plays great, the Browns don’t trust him.
It’s hard to reach any other conclusion on Sunday from coach Kevin Stefanski’s decision to let the Browns try a trick play on the would-be game-tying two-point conversion after Sanders led two touchdown drives in the final six minutes of a 31-29 home loss to the Titans.
Sanders wasn’t even on the field when rookie running back Quinshon Judkins took a direct snap, ran to the right and threw an incomplete pass back across his body with 63 seconds left on the clock.
It looked like Judkins was supposed to flip the ball on a reverse but the timing was messed up.
“Not going to get into all the specifics, but obviously did not go as we thought it would,” Stefanski said, shouldering the blame over offensive coordinator Tommy Rees. “That’s on me. I’m responsible for all of it.”
Sanders made his third career start after waiting behind Joe Flacco and fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel. It came against the news backdrop that the Browns might actually turn back to the disastrous Deshaun Watson as a starter in 2026, Sanders threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns with one interception.
He also ran for 29 yards and a touchdown.
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The Browns trailed 31-17 when Sanders ran for a 7-yard touchdown with 4:27 remaining.
Instead of kicking the PAT, the Browns went for two (an analytics-based decision) and failed.
Trailing 31-23, Sanders led a seven-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that was finished off by his 7-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr.
After the gadget play failed, the Browns could not recover an onside kick and Sanders never got his hands back on the ball.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick, is the first rookie quarterback to throw for 300 yards this season.
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