NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Shedeur Sanders couldn't quite finish what would have been a dramatic overtime victory for the Cleveland Browns.
Still, he took solace in how his play improved during the course of his first start this season.
“To even be able to get in that position was amazing,” Sanders said following a 23-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. “I was truly thankful to get to that point. The moment never felt big, so that’s how I know I’m
growing as a quarterback in this league.
"The next time we get in that situation, I will have a better plan on what to do.”
A potential victory was in Sanders' hands when he took the snap for a 2-point conversion attempt in overtime. Forced to scramble by edge rusher Carl Granderson, his pass intended for Denzel Boston fell incomplete near the right sideline. A completion would've been nullified anyway because offensive tackle Tytus Howard was flagged for holding, but the Browns also would have gotten another play.
Replacing Deshaun Watson, who was in the NFL's concussion protocol for part of the past week, Sanders got hot down the stretch after three mostly ugly quarters for both teams.
He hit KC Conception on a deep pass that turned into a 64-yard touchdown, giving the Browns a 13-9 lead with less than six minutes left in regulation. After the Saints regained the lead, Sanders found Jerry Jeudy for 30 yards on a third-down scramble, setting up Andre Szmyt’s 51-yard, tying field goal with eight seconds left.
Cleveland trailed again when New Orleans reached the end zone on the first series of overtime.
Sanders responded by going 6 of 8 on the game's final drive. He hit Boston on a crossing pattern to convert at third down before tight end Harold Fannin rumbled 39 yards to the end zone, breaking two tackles along the way.
Sanders ended up throwing for 297 yards — his second-highest total in eight NFL starts — and two touchdowns without a turnover. All but 38 of those yards came after halftime, including a 60-yarder when Boston outjumped cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry for a deep ball down the sideline.
“For a guy that really hasn’t taken snaps with (starters) in 10 weeks, I’m really proud of him,” first-year Cleveland coach Todd Monken said. “He had a great week of practice, and he gave us a chance at the end. He came through when we needed it with some big plays.”
Sanders started the Browns’ final seven games last year as a rookie fifth-round draft pick, going 3-4 with more interceptions (10) than touchdowns (seven). He then lost a preseason battle with Watson under Monken, throwing only three passes in relief over the first eight games.
He attributed his slow start against the Saints to rust. The Brown punted three times and settled for a 42-yard field goal on their first four series. The next time they had the ball, he stumbled on a lineman’s foot before handing off on failed fourth-and-goal run from the 1.
“DeShaun did a great job this whole year leading the team,” Sanders said. “I had to step in and get the rhythm and the feeling and everything back.”
His biggest mistake may have come earlier in the week. When asked what he'd seen while studying the Saints’ defense, he said, “Yeah, I’ve seen a lot. When I smile, just know that means something.”
Some Saints took offense.
"It’s disrespectful for someone to laugh at our defense, you know, take us as a joke,” said New Orleans edge rusher Granderson, who had two of the Saints’ five sacks. “So we went out there and balled out. ... We did our thing.”
Sanders insisted his comment was misinterpreted.
“I was never, ever throwing a shot,” he said. “I apologize if my words were taken out of context. ... I was never speaking negatively on anybody.”
He chose not to get involved in another controversy when asked if he had earned the right to start again.
“That’s a set-up question,” he said. “I control what I control. What I think in the grand scheme of things doesn’t really matter. I want to be a great teammate.”
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