Shedeur Sanders Shines, but Browns' Late-Game Decision Raises Eyebrows in Loss to Titans
The Cleveland Browns dropped a heartbreaker on Sunday, falling 31-29 to the Tennessee Titans. But for once this season, quarterback play wasn’t the issue. In fact, it was the bright spot.
Rookie Shedeur Sanders delivered the best performance of his young NFL career - and one of the most impressive outings by a Browns quarterback in decades. Sanders threw for 364 yards, tossed three touchdown passes, and added a rushing score of his own.
In doing so, he became the first Browns quarterback since 1950 to post 300+ passing yards, 3+ passing touchdowns, and a rushing TD in the same game. That’s not just a solid day - that’s history.
And it wasn’t empty stats, either. Sanders was sharp, decisive, and composed, especially in the fourth quarter when the Browns were clawing their way back into the game.
He looked every bit the part of a starting quarterback, commanding the offense with poise and creating plays both in and out of structure. For a fifth-round rookie, this was a statement game.
But the story of the afternoon didn’t end with Sanders’ breakout. It ended - and unraveled - on a controversial decision by head coach Kevin Stefanski.
With the Browns trailing by two and just one play away from tying the game, Stefanski made a surprising call: he pulled Sanders off the field for the team’s final offensive snap - a two-point conversion attempt that went sideways fast. The play failed, the game was lost, and the questions began.
Why take out the quarterback who’d been red-hot all day? Why lean on a trick play in the most critical moment of the game?
Stefanski didn’t offer many details postgame. “Not going to get into all the specifics,” he said.
Shedeur Sanders on not being on the field for the two-point conversion attempt: “I wish I would always have the ball in my hands but that’s not what football is.”
— Scott Procter (@ScottProcter_) December 7, 2025
“I would never go against what the call was.” pic.twitter.com/sjTMVTfKor
“Obviously did not go as we thought it would.” When asked directly why Sanders wasn’t on the field, Stefanski responded, “It’s a two-point play.
Didn’t come through on our first two-point play, got to the second two-point play, we didn’t come through. But that’s on me.”
It was a blunt admission, but it didn’t do much to quiet the noise. Fans were left scratching their heads over the decision to sideline a quarterback who had been carving up the Titans’ defense all afternoon. Sanders had earned the right to have the ball in his hands with the game on the line.
To his credit, Sanders handled the moment with maturity beyond his years. When asked about being pulled for the final play, he didn’t point fingers or stir controversy.
“If I’m out there any play, I would wish I would always have the ball in my hands,” Sanders said. “But that’s not what football is.
Sometimes you got to run the ball, sometimes you got to kick a field goal. … In any situation, of course you would want to.
But I know we practiced something, and we executed it in practice, and we just didn’t seem to do it today. I would never go against what the call was or anything.”
That’s a quarterback owning the moment - even when it wasn’t his moment to own.
Regardless of how the final play unfolded, Sanders’ performance was a major development for a Browns team that’s been searching for stability under center. He showed arm talent, touch, and the kind of leadership that can’t be taught. And while the loss stings, Cleveland may have found something far more valuable: a quarterback they can build around.
Next up for Sanders and the Browns? A matchup with the Bears. If Sunday was any indication, Sanders has earned the right to keep the keys to the offense - and all eyes will be on how he follows up his breakout performance.