CLEVELAND, Ohio — Last week, you might remember a headline about Mac Jones in this space. The Browns were coming off a frustrating loss to the 49ers, Shedeur Sanders struggled in his second start and Jones trotted onto the field to mop up San Francisco’s win.
It took me to a dark place thinking about bridge quarterbacks.
This week?
The Browns are coming off a frustrating loss but Sanders played the best game any Browns quarterback has played this season. He threw for 364 yards and accounted for four touchdowns. He nearly led the Browns back from a two-score deficit in the final 6:11 of the game.
In real time it was an impressive performance. It held up well on rewatch. In fact, it might have been better.
It’s clear that Sanders is already cleaning up the things that caused him problems over his first two starts. His footwork was cleaner with some stray exceptions. He mostly threw the ball away when it was prudent, save for the third-quarter interception.
There was real progress. The excitement over this performance is real. Maybe not to the level some want to take it, but to the level of making these final four games worth watching.
This was the first time after his three starts that you could really see the path forward, that you could see a potential future. We’re going to spend the next five months arguing over quarterback scenarios, so let’s allow our minds wander a little with where this Sanders thing could go.
In other words, let’s get way ahead of ourselves.
We continue this week’s Tuesday takes column with the thought of Sanders long-term potential:
2. Let’s talk money
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders celebrates after running for a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans in the second half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
There is nothing more valuable in the NFL than a starting quarterback on a rookie deal. Multiply that when you start talking about a Day 2 or Day 3 quarterback.
The most recent example is Brock Purdy, the last player selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, who carried cap hits below $1 million his first two seasons and just over $1 million his third season.
Russell Wilson is another example. He was a third-round pick of the Seahawks and carried cap hits under $1 million his first three seasons.
To put that in perspective, Giants quarterback Jameis Winston is a bargain as a backup, with cap hits of $3 million this season and $5 million next.
If we’re simply talking value, Sanders doesn’t need to be anything more than a quality starter to create significant upside for the Browns over the next few seasons. His cap hits the next three years are approximately $1.1 million, $1.2 million and $1.3 million.
When you have a starting quarterback that cheap, even if he’s not a Top 10 quarterback, it allows a team to build up the rest of their roster in ways you can’t when you’re heavily invested in an expensive starter.
It could, for example, allow a team to keep a high-level defense that could get expensive together a little longer.
The Browns’ situation is more complicated because they are trying to navigate one of the worst contracts in the league with Deshaun Watson. That’s another significant way a Day 3 rookie contract really helps.
This model’s potential to work is based on two things:
Sanders shows he can be a quality starter over these next four games.The Browns don’t see a quarterback in the draft worth a first-round pick — or worth giving up the assets it might take to get him if they have to outbid a team for No. 1 or No. 2 overall.
We’re a long ways from that answer, but remember, we’re getting ahead of ourselves here.
3. What about on the field?
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders keeps the football and runs for a touchdown on a pass play in the second half. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Sanders can be fearless. That’s a good thing.
It’s better to have a quarterback who needs to learn a little self-control instead of trying to inject him with some confidence.
The biggest step for Sanders is knowing when to let a play or a drive go, and he made real strides in that area against the Titans.
He had a great example to learn from in Week 13. Purdy played a great game in the 49ers’ win over the Browns.
Statistically, no one is going to remember it. But if you were paying attention, you noticed that, on a bad weather day, he made smart decisions. He didn’t take sacks. He didn’t turn the ball over. He made a few important throws when he needed to.
Sometimes high level quarterback play is boring quarterback play.
It’s difficult for a quarterback like Sanders to balance aggressive play with managing the game when that’s what the situation calls for. Sanders’ ability to keep plays alive and make something happen sure came in handy on the Browns’ final two drives.
Picking his spots was one of the best things Sanders did on Sunday. With one notable exception …
4. Why the interception is the most important teachable moment
It’s not that he threw the interception. He’s a rookie making his third start.
The problem with this particular interception wasn’t that it happened, it’s when it happened.
The Browns were leading, 17-14, and Sanders hit Harold Fannin Jr. on a 35-yard pass to get into Titans’ territory at the 45. A good Quinshon Judkins run on the next play was negated by a hold on tight end Blake Whiteheart and the Browns faced first-and-20 from their own 45.
Sanders threw incomplete to Whiteheart on the play before the pick.
Then, on second-and-20, he tried to do too much.
He had a potential checkdown to Fannin — Jeffery Simmons was applying pressure — which could have set up a much more manageable third down. He also could have thrown it away. See what you can get on third down and punt deep into Titans territory.
Instead, he played hero ball at a time when the Browns didn’t need it and it resulted in great field position for Tennessee. They scored two plays later on a 32-yard run to take the lead for good.
There’s a time and a place for hero ball and that wasn’t it. Sanders avoided it most of Sunday but fell into a bad habit at the worst possible time.
That’s OK. One thing we’ve seen from Sanders in these three starts is he’s a quick learner.
5. Let’s talk analytics
Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski jogs off the field after a loss to the Tennessee Titans. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Kevin Stefanski has rightly gotten heat for taking Sanders off the field on the fateful final two-point attempt. It did appear the play had a chance to work if it in fact called for a pitch to Gage Larvadain, but taking your quarterback off the field with momentum against a tired defense to run a gimmick play was a mistake.
Going for two earlier when they were down eight points was not.
It’s become commonplace but remains controversial. The strategy starts with the idea that Stefanski was trying to score 15 and win in regulation, not 14 and force overtime. That means that after one of the two touchdowns, the Browns would need a two-point try.
Why wait until you won’t have the ability to possess the ball again to find out if that two-point try will be successful?
By going for two after the first score, it sets up a kick to win if they make it. If they fail on that attempt, they still have a chance at another possession to try to tie the game, something they wouldn’t have had they waited until the second score and failed on the attempt.
Anyway, it’s politics. No one is changing their mind one way or the other.
6. Stefanski’s bad decisions
This is two weeks in a row when Stefanski has made losing decisions or mistakes. Taking Sanders off the field on the two-point try was a losing decision.
Going for it deep in their own territory in a 10-8 weather game and sitting idly by while the team struggled to sub and line up correctly with a rookie tight end taking the snap was a losing decision.
At this point, making no noticeable changes to the special teams phase of the game is a losing decision.
There are plenty of excuses to make for Stefanski and the record this season. The decisions he’s made recently make it hard to use those excuses to try and save him.
7. Calling out the defense
Stefanski wasn’t wrong about the run defense on Sunday in his postgame press conference. It was uncharacteristically bad.
He should be careful singling out the defense, though. Having a bad game or two is inevitable and the defense is the only reason the Browns have had any chance this season while Stefanski’s offense has floundered.
8. What about the last four games?
I don’t generally buy into the idea of momentum from season to season. There are too many variables.
I also don’t think four meaningless games in December should be the sole determination of a coach’s fate, one way or another.
So what matters? It’s really the quarterback position.
Three of these games have real meaning for the Browns’ opponents. Chicago, Buffalo and Pittsburgh are either fighting for divisions, playoff seeding or just to make the playoffs. None of them want to look back on a situation in January regretting a late-season loss to the Browns.
Playing spoiler is a fun test for a rookie quarterback trying to prove he should be the starter beyond this season.
9. AFC North power rankings
Here’s how the AFC North stands after 14 weeks.
Pittsburgh (7-6)
The Steelers are back on top after a win over Baltimore.
Baltimore (6-7)
They simply haven’t been able to get going and their recent winning streak looks flimsy.
Cincinnati (4-9)
Well, that was a fun story for a week.
Cleveland (3-10)
They lost to the Titans.
10. The ‘Whichever direction the wind is blowing Super Bowl pick of the week’
What if you were allowed to make a new Super Bowl pick every week based on vibes, gut feelings and recency bias? Well, that’s what we’re doing here.
This week: Bills vs. Rams
It hasn’t been pretty for Buffalo, but an opportunity like this might not present itself again for Josh Allen. The Rams are just a wagon.
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