SI

Shedeur Sanders Had an Awful Game in Blowout Loss to Bears

Sanders had the worst game of his young career on Sunday.

Ryan Phillips

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had the worst day of his young career on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders had the worst day of his young career on Sunday against the Chicago Bears. / Matt Marton-Imagn Images
In this story:

Shedeur Sanders had the worst game of his young NFL career on Sunday.

Things got ugly for the rookie quarterback, as the Browns were hammered by the Bears 31-3, and Sanders could do nothing to prevent it. Cleveland’s signal-caller had been solid in his three previous starts, but Sunday was a disaster.

On the day, Sanders completed 18-of-35 passes for 177 yards, with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He was sacked five times on the day. The Browns got inside the 10-yard line on a drive in the final minute, but failed to score.

All three of the interceptions Sanders threw were poor decisions of the kind he had avoided in his previous starts.

With the Browns trailing 14-3 midway through the third quarter, they took over on their own 17-yard line following a punt by Chicago. On first-and-10, Sanders dropped back and attempted to hit Harold Fannin Jr. on a short pass over the middle, but D’Marco Jackson tipped the pass up, then intercepted it. It was an ill-advised throw, but a great play by Jackson.

After the Bears scored a touchdown, Sanders got Cleveland moving again, going 49 yards in four plays. On third-and-9 from Chicago’s 24-yard line, the rookie quarterback went deep up the right side for Jerry Jeudy. He put the ball in a decent spot, but Jaylon Johnson was able to take it right out of Jeudy’s hands.

The Bears turned that miscue into points, answering with a touchdown to take a 28-3 lead late in the third quarter.

Sanders’s third interception came soon after. On second-and-3 on Cleveland’s 33-yard line, he attempted a deep pass to Fannin, but C.J. Gardner-Johnson picked it off. It wasn’t a good throw, but Gardner-Johnson made a great play on the ball.

Sanders looked really bad on Sunday. He’ll have to bounce back next week against the Bills to prove he should continue to keep his job.

Shedeur Sanders career stats

Entering Week 15, Sanders had seen action in four games and had completed 54-of-103 passes (52.4%) for 769 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions. He was averaging 7.5 yards per attempt and had a passer rating of 80.9, while his QBR was a pretty brutal 19.9.

Sanders had his best game in Week 14 against the Titans. He completed 23-of-42 throws for 364 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception. He added 29 yards and a touchdown on three runs, while his passer rating for the game was 97.7, and his QBR was 56.0, by far the best of his young career. The Browns lost 31-29, but their quarterback showed real growth.

With Sunday’s stats factored in, Sanders has completed 72-of-138 passes this season (52.2%), for 946 yards, with five touchdowns and six interceptions. His passer rating is now a woeful 68.1.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated

FREE NEWSLETTER. SI BTN Newsletter. Start off your day with SI:CYMI. dark

feed

Published |Modified
Ryan Phillips
RYAN PHILLIPS

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024. Phillips also co-hosts The Assembly Call Podcast about Indiana Hoosiers basketball and previously worked at Bleacher Report. He is a proud San Diego native and a graduate of Indiana University’s journalism program.

Home/NFL