"It’s not helping the team": Shedeur Sanders throws Browns fans under the bus after QB's debut turns sloppy

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his much anticipated NFL debut against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, entering the game in the third quarter after starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel exited with a concussion following a first-half collision.

Fans had been urging the franchise to give a chance to the No. 144 pick of the 2025 Draft. There were audible chants of "We Want Sanders" throughout the first half. However, Sanders realises that this might put Gabriel under pressure. He addressed the situation during the post-game conference.

"I’m extremely thankful … seeing all them 12 jerseys out there," Sanders said. "Let me say this: When Dillon’s out there playing, I appreciate the fans, but I’m a good person, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable and confident.... It puts everything in a tough spot. It’s not helping the team.” "That could be taken as, okay, I’m being a distraction even though I ain’t doing nothing. I’m not doing nothing."

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Shedeur Sanders completed just four of 16 passes for 47 yards with one interception and two sacks. Despite the poor outing in his debut, the rookie has the support from the Browns' locker room, especially defensive end Myles Garrett. The six-time Pro Bowler wants Sanders to keep his head up and not let one or two drives discourage him.

Garrett also said that even though Sanders pinned the loss on himself, the team is not going to let him be the scapegoat. Coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Gabriel would remain the starter when healthy.

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Shedeur Sanders gets honest about his debut

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders took responsibility for his disastrous performance during Sunday's 23-16 loss to the Ravens.

"I don’t think I played good,” Sanders said. “I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable even throwing routes with Jerry and throwing routes with all those guys.

Sanders had received minimal practice repetitions with the starting receiving corps despite serving as the backup quarterback throughout the season.

"So I think that was my first ball to him all year. … I just think overall we’ve just got to go next week and understand so then we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do.”

Sanders suggested that time and preparation would be required before reaching definitive conclusions about his NFL viability. Yet the organization's decision-making regarding his preparation raised questions about the Browns' coaching staff's competency.

Edited by nagpaltusharn25