The Week 16 matchup against the Bills caused a lot of harm to the Browns. Apart from Quinshon Jedkins, who will undergo surgery, Shedeur Sanders went down with an injured pinky finger.

Speaking to the reports at a conference on Monday, Sanders opened up about his initial shock over the injury.

“You can look online and see what my finger looked like,” he laughed when a reporter asked what the injury looked like to the 23-year-old. 

“I put in my hand warmer like ‘why’s my pinky not getting warm?’ Then, I got through to Quinshon, then it was a little hot.”

The Browns started with a lead of seven points against the Bills. However, after making five passes for six points in the first drive, Sanders had to sit out with his injury. He was replaced by fellow rookie quarterback Dillion Gabriel.  

While Sanders completed 20 passes out of 29 for 157 yards and scored a touchdown to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., Gabriel was sacked almost immediately.  The Browns lost to the Bills 20-23.

Sanders claimed he tried to return to the field despite his bleeding finger and didn’t want to put Gabriel in a tough spot. “I did everything to come back...I didn't want to put Dillon in a bad situation,” he said.

“It's tough to play that role because you don't get reps. I said, ‘My bad bro’ for putting you in that situation.” 

How do Future Matches Look Like

Head coach Stefanski clarified that Sanders’ hurt finger is not a major concern. He shared that he was proud of Sanders for rushing and pulling through. “Little finger injury’s not going to keep him out of there,” he stated. 

“Yeah, he battled like he does, I thought he made some unbelievable plays with his feet today. But always room to grow for a young player, but really proud of how he fought.”

The Browns are marred with injuries, with many key players like tight end David Njoku, OT Jack Conklin, running back Dylan Sampson, and cornerback Denzel Ward out for the remainder of the season.

Sanders was intercepted twice by the Bills, and without a strong backup, his chances of performing well in the next two matchups are slim.

Written by

Akanksha Biradar

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu