The Cleveland Browns’ rookie QB, Shedeur Sanders, made a few blunders against the Steelers, like throwing his second interception in the fourth quarter. However, head coach Kevin Stefanski was satisfied with his performance. 

In the post-game press conference, Stefanski was all praise for Sanders and stated that he has grown a lot. “He got a win, so that’s great for the young man. He gets to beat Pittsburgh, a division rival. Wins in this division are never easy. Proud of him for that,” he said. 

The 23-year-old started the game with a bang, moving the chain with accurate passes, with Andre Szmyt converting the field goal. Then Sanders gave a 28-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr., taking the lead to 9-0 in the first quarter itself. 

He threw for 186 passing yards and completed 17 out of 23 passes. Sanders showed his potential on the ground as well, rushing for 20 yards on 4 carries. Although he conceded an interception and was sacked twice, it was enough to defeat the Steelers.

This win changed absolutely nothing for the Browns, but it will surely give confidence to Stefanski and Sanders. With one game left against the Bengals, Cleveland will look to add another win to its 5-12 season, and Sanders can help.

Shedeur Sanders aims to change the Browns' culture 

Following the win over Pittsburgh, the Browns are sixth in the draft order. However, the veterans of the teams, especially Joel Bitonio, expressed that they wanted set a culture for the young guys coming into the team. 

Sanders, being one of the rookies, answered whether the win against the Steelers was a step forward to building a culture. “I think we’ve been pretty consistent with what we’ve been doing. The only difference is now we got a result. Everybody’s locked in, Everybody is extremely focused on what they gotta do,” he said.

If there’s one positive the Browns can take away from another disappointing season, that’s the performance from their rookies. While DT Mason Graham recorded 27 solo tackles and half a sack, LB Carson Schwesinger ranks sixth in his very first season with 156 combined tackles and 2.5 sacks. 

Running back Quinshon Judkins has been a revelation for the Browns, scoring 7 touchdowns for 827 rushing yards. Meanwhile, tight end Harold Fannin Jr. leads Cleveland with 731 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. Will the Browns make their future bright by building the squad around rookies? Let us know in the comments.

Written by

Kalp Thaker

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi