Shedeur Sanders’ first NFL start looks like it will result in the rare comfortable win for the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns’ offensive output against the Raiders hasn’t been consistently pretty. They have averaged just 2.6 yards per carry on the ground and are just over 250 total offensive yards, but another dominant performance from the defense and a handful of explosive plays from the offense have helped the Browns build a three-score lead in the fourth-quarter. On the latest explosive play, Sanders connected with his fellow rookie, Dylan Sampson, on a screen pass. Sampson did the rest, taking it 66 yards to the house, and expanding Cleveland’s lead to 24-3 over Las Vegas. The score was the first touchdown pass of Sanders’ career, and Sampson’s first since Week 2.
Through three-and-a-half quarters of his first NFL start, Sanders has completed 11 of his 20 pass attempts for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He’s been kept remarkably clean — taking just one sack — when compared to the opposing quarterback, Geno Smith, who has been sacked a staggering eight times by the Browns’ defense. Sanders hasn’t been perfect during his first start, but there have been plenty of positives from his first extended action.
This article originally appeared on Browns Wire: Shedeur Sanders’ first NFL TD helps pad Browns fourth-quarter lead
Reporting by Pat McGinnis, Browns Wire / Browns Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
