Shedeur Sanders first half; exactly what he needed to be

Jason Jones

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Shedeur Sanders first half; exactly what he needed to be image

Shedeur Sanders has just wrapped up his first half in his first start. There were some exciting moments and one bad moment in his first starting action. Most importantly, Sanders looks the part.

Through the first half, Sanders has completed seven of eleven passes for 127 yards and one interception. The halftime score is 14-3 Cleveland. Both scoring drives were capped off by Quinshon Judkins wildcat runs.

An idea that some fans are choosing to see negatively. Judkins out of the wildcat on goal line plays is not new and it certainly isn’t the Browns doing that because Shedeur is starting.

One of the biggest talking points by fans was the notion that Sanders has been NFL ready since day one. The biggest area of contention has been the idea that Sanders had factors to work on or clean up. One of those factors simply isn’t present today. Sanders has been sacked once today. For exactly a -3-yard loss. As opposed to the pocket depth sacks that lead to losses of 10 yards or more.

Another area that needed attention was holding onto the ball too long and trying to make something happen when nothing is there. On several occasions, Shedeur has opted for the check down or simply threw the ball away. Something he rarely did at Colorado.

The biggest positive for Sanders came early in the game. With 1:43 left in the first quarter, up +7, on 3rd & 8 Sanders delivered arguably the best pass play of the Browns season. Sanders was flushed out of the pocket and rolled out to his right. With three Raiders defenders conveging, Sanders threw it on the run to fellow rookie Isaiah Bond. Sanders dropped the pass over the defender and into Bond’s arms. Bond came one yard shy of the endzone resulting in a 52-yard reception and 1st & goal.

The bad was a basic rookie mistake that Sanders will learn from. 11:23 left in the second quarter, Sanders throws to Jerry Jeudy for what would have been a short gain. Sanders likely saw the linebacker indicating he was chasing the receiver in the flat, but cut back and picked off the pass before it got to Jeudy. Ross Tucker on the call even highlighted the misstep during the replay.

As far as the first half is concerned, Sanders has done what he was asked if not expected to do. The interception is a learning opportunity. He’s not inviting sacks, he’s not playing hero ball, he’s running the offense as designed. Most importantly, and very different from Dillon Gabriel, Sanders is taking his shots when they are there. If this play continues and Sanders minimizes mistakes, he is well on his way to forcing a conversation about the rest of this season and potentially further than that.

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Contributing Writer