The phrase "I'm my toughest critic" was basically invented for Shedeur Sanders. 

In the aftermath of the Cleveland Browns 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens where Sanders made his NFL debut, the rookie was as candid as can be when talking about his performance. 

"I don't think I played good," he asserted. "I don't think I played good at all." 

It would be hard to categorize Sanders' performance any other way. The fifth-round pick took over to start the second half of the game as fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel was being evaluated for a concussion. He wouldn't return, leaving the offense in Sanders' hands the rest of the way. 

As he said himself, it didn't go well. 

Sanders completed just four of his 16 pass attempts for 47 yards and threw his first career interception on his second series of the half. He looked ill-prepared for the moment, but in many respects he was. 

"I think it's a lot of things we need to look at during the week and go and just get comfortable, even throwing routes with Jerry and throwing routes with all those guys. I think that was my first ball to him all year," he explained. "No, but other than that, I just think overall we just got to go next weekend and understand so then we have a week to prepare stuff I like to do." 

Instant Reaction: Shedeur Sanders Sees is FIrst Action, Browns Fall to Ravens 23-16 Shedeur Sanders got his first action of his career in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens. The Browns' offense yielded only 9 points today, and the ...

Sanders' took the loss extremely hard. After a last gasp of a drive ended with a turnover on downs in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter, he made his way to the end of the Browns bench and sat alone with his head in his hands.

The disappointment spilled over into the locker room as well, where he apparently addressed his teammates, shouldering blame for the loss. Star defensive end Myles Garrett, however, wasn't hearing it. 

"I’m just trying to keep him to keep his confidence high and keep on chasing that standard in which he’s set, and we’re going to continue to support him," Garrett said. "He spoke after the game and he wanted to pin it on himself and his performance, but we’re not going to allow him to do that. It’s a team game, so we’re all in this together."

As things stand right now, it's not a guarantee that Sanders will be back under center to make his first NFL start next week. Gabriel is in the concussion protocol, but head coach Kevin Stefanski made it clear that if he clears it in time for Week 12, he'll reclaim the starting job against the Las Vegas Raiders. 

There is something to be said for Sanders getting a full week of preparation as the starter, and receiving all the first-team reps – something Gabriel has at this disposal right now as the team's current QB1. Stefanski has admitted that Sanders hasn't received any first team reps at this point, because they prioritize those for Gabriel. 

Sanders' ties not to dwell on that. His sole focus is on making the most of whatever opportunities he gets, which is another reason Sunday felt so disappointing to him. 

"The most I could ask for is opportunity," he said. "See, [the reps are] an uncontrollable thing that I'm not able to control and that's not nothing I should speak on just being the quarterback of this team and this franchise. It gave me opportunity. I ain't do up to my expectation, enough to get us a win. So I just got to take that one to the chin." 

There have been other opportunities for Sanders, particularly during the after practice work that the team has dubbed its "hungry dog" session. Sanders was a constant participant in that extra portion of practice during training camp and the lead up to the regular season. Those drills have been valuable to the Colorado product, but they don't involve the first team guys. 

"It's helped me understand the concepts live. But it's different when there's different body types going out there, different way how people get out of routes," Sanders explained. "Playing quarterback is extremely hard. So I like knowing every detail about my receivers. I like knowing the small things, what they're good at, what they're not good at. It's like so many details that helps me play confident with those guys, and I know we at the bottom right now." 

Sanders vowed that Sunday's rough outing won't define him, or his NFL career. 

"This performance, everything, it will never be like this," he said." I'm dedicated to being able to get those opportunities with those guys to have a relationship."

If Gabriel can't play next week, that next opportunity may come sooner than he realizes.