LAS VEGAS — You better believe there’s going to be overreactions to what happened Nov. 23 in the Browns’ 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
That’s just factoring the quarterback into the equation. That doesn’t even begin to take into account the other aspects of the team that played every bit the role, if not a bigger role, in the win.
But it was Shedeur Sanders’ starting debut, and that’s going to take up so much of the oxygen. And the overreactions.
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So, here we go. Let’s dive into the overreactions from the Browns’ third win of the season.
Shedeur Sanders should be the starter the rest of the season
Not sure this is really an overreaction. Want to argue six games isn’t a big enough sample size to truly gauge rookie Dillon Gabriel? Fair enough. Want to argue what over those first six games makes you think the next six will be much different? OK then. So it’s time for Sanders to get his audition, because there has to be some clarity to this position by the time the season ends in January. Why? Because the Browns need to have an idea of how to attack the quarterback position in the offseason. There’s a big difference in how they approach it if they think Sanders could be the answer, compared to if they think they still need to take a swing in the first round. None of that was determined by what happened in Las Vegas, which gets to overreaction No. 2.
Shedeur Sanders’ 1st start was, on the whole, fine … which is fine
Can we, maybe for the first time in discussing Sanders ever, have a little nuance? That’s because what follows isn’t going to put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame just yet. However, it’s not in any way going to say there’s not reason why things could trend up toward being a quality starter at some point. The stat line was 11-of-20 passing, 209 yards, a touchdown on which his running back turned a 1-yard swing pass into a 66-yard gain, an interception on which he threw into triple coverage and the dropping linebacker picked it off and just one sack. That last part was important, because it showed steps forward from his two quarters of play against the Baltimore Ravens. Sanders was quicker to get rid of the ball, managed to avoid the pressure — such as on his 52-yard completion to Isaiah Bond that was all arm strength — and played within the pocket. There were also some bad throws that need to be cleaned up. So, yeah, fine is just a fine way to describe the performance. And that’s just fine for a first start.
Myles Garrett’s having one of the greatest defensive seasons ever
So, what seasons would belong in the conversation? Well, Myles Garrett is fast proving his name belongs on whatever list gets formulated. Three more sacks, four more tackles for loss and one can only imagine how many extra blockers used against him for Garrett against the Raiders. The single-season NFL sack record of 22.5 is very much in sight, and considering the rate at which he can accumulate sacks in a game, the single-game mark of eight could very well also be in the picture. Historically, where does it rank? Hard to say. This season, it’s just screaming NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns Week 12 overreactions says it’s OK to be OK with the rookie QB
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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