During Week 15 of the NFL season, the Cleveland Browns traveled to Chicago to face the Bears, and the predictions held true. The team coached by Ben Johnson dominated the Browns in a 31-3 blowout. It was a difficult outing for Shedeur Sanders, who struggled throughout the game and was intercepted three times, drawing increasing criticism.
The criticism comes just one week after Sanders was widely praised for an outstanding performance against the Tennessee Titans, where he accounted for four total touchdowns and threw for 364 yards-marking the best performance by any rookie in the NFL this season. Against the Bears, however, Sanders endured a very different and much tougher afternoon.
Despite the loss, there was one bright spot for the Browns: Myles Garrett. The star pass rusher continues to make a strong case as the best defensive player in the NFL. With 1.5 sacks of Caleb Williams, Garrett now has 22 sacks on the season. With three games remaining, he needs just one more to tie the all-time single-season sack record in NFL history.
Shedeur Sanders struggled against the Bears’ defense
The lopsided result at Soldier Field came as no surprise. One team currently sits atop the highly competitive NFC North with 10 wins, while the other is battling for the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NFL Draft. The gap between the Chicago Bears and the Cleveland Browns was evident on the field.
As in every game he has started since entering the league after his college career with the Colorado Buffaloes, all eyes were on Shedeur Sanders. He connected on two explosive plays with Isaiah Bond, but the three interceptions overshadowed his performance. One of them drew heavy criticism despite not being entirely his fault, as Sanders delivered a strong throw that Jerry Jeudy failed to secure, allowing the Bears’ defense to come away with the interception.
Even accounting for that play, there is no question Sanders had a poor game-arguably the most difficult of his four starts with the Browns so far. Still, Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner urged patience and optimism regarding Sanders’ talent: “I felt like he played really tentative, didn’t play confident in terms of dropping back and knowing where eyes and feet should be. You’ve seen some good things… there’s got to be some optimism,” Warner said during an appearance on 92.3 The Fan.
If the matchup against the Bears was challenging, what lies ahead is even tougher. The Browns still have games remaining against the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cincinnati Bengals-matchups that will be crucial for Sanders as he attempts to convince the organization that he is the quarterback of the future for the 2026 season. The road ahead is extremely difficult for the son of Deion Sanders.
Read the full article here
