The Cleveland Browns were able to spoil the Pittsburgh Steelers’ hopes of clinching the AFC North on Sunday afternoon, defeating their hated rivals in Week 17, 13-6.

Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders finished the day completing 17 of his 23 pass attempts for 186 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. The first-year playmaker was on fire to kick off the contest, making multiple high-level throws.

This included a massive 42-yard completion to wideout Cedric Tillman, as he layered the ball perfectly into the hands of his wide receiver to move the chains.

Shortly after this impressive throw, Sanders threw his lone touchdown of the day to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. The ball was not perfect by any means, but Fannin’s incredible body control allowed him to grab between two defenders to give the Browns a 10-0 lead in the middle of the first quarter.

Unfortunately for Sanders and the Browns’ offense, the explosive first quarter would be the last time in the game when the offense would find success. Two drives after the touchdown, the former 2025 fifth-round pick threw his first interception of the game when looking for tight end Sal Cannella.

Sanders was hit in the pocket, but if the young quarterback had gotten the ball out a second earlier, Cannella would have likely been able to get the first down. Regardless, this was a testament to left tackle Cam Robinson’s horrific outing on Sunday.

While the offense continued to struggle in the second half, Sanders would throw his second interception of the contest earlier in the fourth quarter, which was solely on the rookie.

My guess is that Sanders saw wide receiver Jerry Jeudy open on the left side of the field, and either he tried to make the throw to his top receiver or throw the ball away on the play. Either way, this was a horrible decision by Sanders to try to make a throw across his body.

Luckily, the second interception would not come back to haunt him for the rest of the matchup, as the Browns’ defense was able to hold the Steelers to six points for the entire contest.

The Verdict: C-

With five starts under his belt this season, Sanders showed great promise at the beginning of Sunday’s contest by making multiple high-level throws. This was due to the young playmaker making the correct decisions, while also playing within the system's structure and on time.

However, the dramatic shift in play after Sanders threw his first interception was a major concern for the young quarterback. On the ensuing offensive drive, Sanders’ first pass attempt almost resulted in another interception on a similar play.

Still, this time, it was because he held on to the ball for too long instead of pulling the trigger.

After throwing that first interception, Sanders threw a measly 29 passing yards for the rest of the game, while 21 of the 29 came in the second half. Obviously, Cleveland’s offensive game plan became very conservative in the second half, as the team held a lead over the Steelers. But his timid play after that interception in the second quarter did not help his case for the remainder of the matchup.

Moving forward, Sunday’s win over the franchise’s longtime rival now puts the Browns in a spot where general manager Andrew Berry may not be able to take a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.

The biggest fear for me was that the Browns would play well enough to force themselves out of a spot to take a quarterback while Sanders still looked mediocre, which ultimately happened in Week 17.