Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders endured a nightmare NFL debut on Sunday, completing just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with an interception and two sacks, resulting in a QBR of 2.4 and a passer rating of 13.5. The Browns, leading 16-10 at halftime, lost 23-16 to the Baltimore Ravens after Sanders failed to generate any offence in the fourth quarter.
Despite the dismal statistics, former Fox pundit Skip Bayless posted a nearly 15-minute video on X defending Sanders, claiming he saw 'flashes of brilliance'. Bayless said he believes in Sanders' poise, accuracy, toughness and 'it' factor, insisting the rookie should have been starting from the beginning of the season.
Bayless acknowledged the difficult circumstances, noting that Sanders was thrown into the game with a game plan designed for Dillon Gabriel, who left with an injury. He praised two throws on the final drive – a 25-yard pass to tight end Harold Fannin and a 10-yard strike to Jerry Jeudy – while offering excuses for the five incomplete passes that followed.
The Browns fell to 2-8 with the defeat, but Bayless remains convinced Sanders is a franchise quarterback. Cleveland will travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders next week.
