The Cleveland Browns’ offense and rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders had a rough showing on Sunday, losing at the hands of the Chicago Bears, 31-3.

After a nice showing in the Browns’ Week 14 loss to the Tennessee Titans, the 2025 fifth-round pick was set to take on a stout Bears’ defense on Sunday. Unfortunately for Sanders and company, he was unable to repeat his success on the road against the Bears, finishing the contest by completing 18 of his 35 pass attempts for 177 yards and three interceptions.

The offensive efforts were clearly lacking in the first half, but Chicago began to apply more pressure on Sanders in the second half. This resulted in the rookie quarterback’s first turnover of the game, as he threw his first interception in the middle of the third quarter.

Outside linebacker D’Marco Jackson did an excellent job of baiting Sanders by faking his blitz and dropping back in coverage. Sanders tries to complete a tight pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr., but Jackson was in the right spot to make the interception.

To make matters worse, wide receiver Isaiah Bond was wide open for a touchdown deep since safety Kevin Byard came crashing in after watching Sanders’ eyes.

Luckily for the young playmaker, he would eventually come back and make a couple of terrific throws, including a 47-yard bomb to Bond and what would have been a touchdown to wide receiver Jerry Jeudy if he had held on to the ball.

Unfortunately for Sanders, he would throw his third interception of the game earlier in the fourth quarter when trying to target Fannin on a corner route.

Pre-snap, Fannin looks like the correct read, but safety CJ Gardner-Johnson pushes up to the rookie tight end instead of the flat.

Sunday’s contest was the next test for Sanders, as both of his successful outings came against two teams with a combined record of 4-24.

Obviously, with a banged-up offensive line and lack of weapons, it would be hard for a rookie quarterback to excel. However, many of the mistakes that Sanders has made continue to haunt him this season.

There were multiple occasions where Sanders’ footwork caused him to miss easy passes, especially on two check downs to running back Quinshon Judkins that resulted in negative plays.

The good news, however, is that there were some signs of improvement that caught my attention, including his willingness to take what the defense gave him in the fourth quarter.

Instead of trying to force a pass deep or play hero ball, Sanders took his check downs and slowly moved the chains. Outside of his interception in the fourth quarter, Sanders’ ability to take the check downs was easily the most positive takeaway.

In order to solidify himself as the Browns’ franchise quarterback, Sanders must finish the season on a high note. The rookie quarterback is set to face the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Cincinnati Bengals to close out his first NFL season, which makes for a daunting task.