Kevin Stefanski Shows Growing Belief in Shedeur Sanders After Gritty Loss to Bills
Kevin Stefanski has always kept his cards close to the vest when speaking to the media. He’s calm, calculated, and rarely lets emotion seep into his press conferences - especially when it comes to his players.
But after the Browns’ narrow 23-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, the head coach let a little more slip than usual. And it was all about his rookie quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
Now 1-4 as a starter, Sanders has been thrown into the fire this season. Sunday’s matchup against the Bills - who came in boasting the NFL’s No. 2 pass defense - was never going to be an easy task.
And when Cleveland lost rookie running back Quinshon Judkins to a brutal leg injury in the second quarter, the challenge became even steeper. But Sanders didn’t fold.
In fact, he showed something that’s hard to quantify but easy to recognize: fight.
After a rocky start that included a few off-target throws, some questionable decisions, and even a painful injury to the pinky finger on his throwing hand, Sanders rallied. He led back-to-back scoring drives in the fourth quarter, pulling the Browns within three points with just under nine minutes to go.
Against a well-coached Sean McDermott defense that thrives on taking away deep shots and forcing quarterbacks to beat them underneath, Sanders adjusted. He took what the defense gave him, leaned on check-downs and intermediate routes, and helped Cleveland move the chains consistently.
The Browns actually finished with more first downs than the Bills (22 to 16) and outgained Josh Allen’s offense in total yardage - a rare feat for any team, let alone one starting a fifth-round rookie QB.
Sanders’ final line: 20-of-29 passing for 157 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and 49 rushing yards on four carries. He was sacked twice.
Not a perfect stat sheet, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. What stood out more was the poise.
The willingness to keep battling. The ability to bounce back from mistakes and keep the offense moving.
And Stefanski noticed.
In a moment that broke from his usual script, Stefanski not only kept the ball in Sanders’ hands on a gutsy fourth-and-2 play from his own territory - he also delivered perhaps his most glowing public endorsement of the rookie to date.
"He battled like he does," Stefanski said postgame. **"I thought he made some unbelievable plays with his feet today, which I thought, going into the game, that may be the case.
He'll fight through injuries. Little finger injury's not going to keep him out of there.
Always room to grow for a young player, but really proud of how he fought." **
That’s not just coach-speak. That’s a shift in tone.
Stefanski has leaned on familiar phrases when talking about Sanders throughout the season - “he battled,” “room to grow,” “learning experience.” But words like “unbelievable” and “really proud” haven’t been part of the usual postgame vocabulary.
This time, they were. And they meant something.
Let’s be clear: there are no moral victories in the NFL. The Browns are now 6-26 over the past two seasons.
Sanders has thrown eight interceptions and taken 15 sacks in just over five games of action. The offense has holes, the roster lacks depth in key areas, and there’s a massive contract on the books that’s limiting what the front office can do in the short term.
But in a season that’s been defined by struggle, Sunday felt like a step forward - not just for Sanders, but for the relationship between quarterback and head coach. Stefanski hasn’t rushed to crown Sanders or oversell his performances. But he’s also been consistent in protecting him, keeping the focus on growth, and letting the rookie take his lumps without throwing him under the bus.
Now, with three games left in the season and Sanders entrenched as the starter, Stefanski’s growing belief in his quarterback is becoming harder to miss. And if the Browns are going to build something sustainable heading into 2026, that belief might be the most important foundation they have.