After a strong offensive performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13, the Cleveland Browns and starting quarterback Shedeur Sanders took a huge step back on Sunday while hosting the San Francisco 49ers.

Sanders would ultimately finish Sunday’s contest completing 16 of his 25 pass attempts for 149 yards and one touchdown. With the brutal weather conditions and facing a stout 49ers defense, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees made it clear that the offense would remain conservative in Week 13, as Sanders had three attempts for more than 20 yards downfield.

The 2025 fifth-round pick had a rough start to the contest, as he missed a wide-open Jerry Jeudy cutting upfield on 3rd and 3.

Many fans were quick to claim that the wind had an effect on the pass, but if you look at the flags on the goal post, the wind is blowing into Sanders’ face on the play. This clearly proves that Sanders overthrew Jeudy, which is a common mistake for a rookie in his second start.

Another play that truly emphasizes Sanders’ struggle to quit on plays occurred in the second quarter. On 3rd and 15, Sanders tried to wait for an open receiver downfield, but the 49ers were able to play soft coverage and take away anything over the top.

Instead of throwing it to the check down on either side, the rookie tried to play hero ball and took a sack, which put the Browns out of field goal range.

However, Sanders eventually redeemed himself late in the second quarter, delivering a great ball to fellow rookie Harold Fannin Jr. to give Cleveland a one-point lead with less than a minute left in the first half.

This momentum would be quickly drained in the second half, as the Browns’ starting quarterback completed eight of his 14 pass attempts for 53 yards. The offense failed to score another point for the rest of the game, leading to Cleveland’s fourth loss in the last five games.

Sanders played fine in his second-career start in the NFL, but it’s clear that there are still plenty of things the rookie must improve on for the rest of the season.

During his time at Colorado, Sanders was able to get away with playing “hero ball” in college, mainly because he had to create momentum for the majority of the offense attack. However, this is not the Big 12 Conference, and NFL defenses will eat you alive if you are not playing on rhythm and taking what the defense gives you on every play.

In addition to occasionally trying to do too much on offense, the Browns’ game plan for Sanders was strange, to say the least. Six of his 16 completions were behind the line of scrimmage, which was likely a design from the coaching staff this week.

To me, Sunday’s game plan felt as if Rees was trying to stay conservative with Sanders due to the strong play from the 49ers’ defense and the windy conditions.

Luckily for Sanders, there are brighter days ahead, as head coach Kevin Stefanski told reporters after the game that he will be the starter against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14.