How Did Shedeur Sanders Do in NFL Debut for Browns? Insiders, Fans Weigh In

NFL fans have been eagerly anticipating the NFL debut of Cleveland Browns rookie Shedeur Sanders. It finally came in the second half of Sunday's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens after Dillon Gabriel was ruled out with a concussion.

For Sanders stans, however, Sunday didn't exactly go to script.

The young quarterback struggled immensely against the Ravens, finishing the contest 4-of-16 for 47 yards with a fumble (recovered by the Browns), an interception and two sacks taken.

And despite a heroic effort from the defense—Myles Garrett alone had four sacks and five tackles for loss—the Browns ultimately lost the game, 23-16. The winning score was a Tush Push variant that went 34 yards to the house:

Sanders and the offense did have a chance to tie the game but failed to answer that touchdown with one of their own, coming up short on the final drive.

After the contest, the general consensus was that Sanders struggled, though there were glimmers of hope here and there:

To a degree, Sunday's performance shouldn't come as the biggest surprise. Cleveland hasn't handed him the reins for a reason, despite the struggles of Joe Flacco early in the season and Gabriel after him.

But Sanders also came into the game in relief duty. He hasn't been working with the first-team offense and hasn't played a game since the preseason. A rough introduction on Sunday, against a tough Ravens team, wasn't unforeseeable.

For fans who have been loudly proclaiming that the Browns should make Sanders the starter, it was also a bit of a reality check. His NFL career won't be determined by one half of football, but it wasn't the debut he would have wanted either.