It wasn’t as anyone expected, but Shedeur Sanders finally made his NFL debut last weekend. Coming into the game for Dillon Gabriel, who had suffered a concussion, Sanders looked outmatched as the Cleveland Browns offense couldn’t deal with a fierce Baltimore Ravens defense during the second half of the game. They ended up losing 23-16.
In the aftermath, there has been plenty of discussion surrounding Sanders’ performance. One side has rightfully pointed out his poor statistics and the fact that he couldn’t lead the Browns to a single point scored. The other side has chosen to keep things positive, focusing on the few good things he put on tape, while also making note that he was put into a brutal situation with zero first-team reps in practice. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. certainly falls into the latter category.
Mel Kiper Jr. says Shedeur Sanders showed a lot of positive things in NFL debut
While appearing on NFL on ESPN, Kiper praised Sanders for his performance, claiming that he made accurate passes and “had them in a position where he almost tied” the game near the end of it. Not even Browns fans could believe some of what was being said, as many pointed out the flat-out truth: The Browns squandered a 16-10 halftime lead by scoring zero points in the second half, where Sanders played for all of it.
Two things can be true: Sanders was put into a very tough position to make his NFL debut and he also played poorly. But when it comes to discussing Sanders, both his on-field performances and off-field actions, there simply isn’t any nuance a lot of the time. It has made him an extremely polarizing player. A great performance in his first start this week against the Las Vegas Raiders would do well to benefit Sanders.
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