Shedeur Sanders' Media Cheerleaders Ignore One Concerning Trend In Debut Celebration

Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his first career start Sunday in a 24-10 win over the Raiders.

Following the game, ESPN posted a banner reading, "Shedeur Sanders shines in win." The usual suspects praised the debut, including shameless fangirl Josina Anderson.

"Shedeur Sanders gets the win & should remain the starter in Cleveland. Sanders should’ve started the season," Anderson gushed. With tremendous pressure on his shoulders and critics eager to see him fail, Sanders became the first Browns quarterback to win his debut since 1999."

In reality, Sanders was just okay. He completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and one interception against a putrid Raiders defense.

On a positive note, it was his first game. On a negative note, it was his first game. Let us explain.

Some quarterbacks build on their debut, while others regress after they produce enough film for defenses to game-plan around. Take Dillon Gabriel, the Browns’ other rookie quarterback. He had a far more impressive debut than Sanders earlier this season against the Vikings, tossing two touchdowns with no turnovers. However, since then, defenses have exposed his flaws, rendering him mostly ineffective.

Speaking of the Vikings, JJ McCarthy is statistically among the league’s worst starters this year. Yet in Week 1 — his first-ever NFL game — he led a comeback win over the Bears. After missing a month with an injury, he returned to beat the Lions earlier this month, only to throw two interceptions in each of the next three games.

We’ve seen this pattern before. Even Carson Wentz flashes competence from time to time. Then coordinators review the film and turn him back into, well, Carson Wentz.

That said, the Browns should give Sanders another start. According to head coach Kevin Stefanski, he will start Week 13 against the 49ers. At 3-8, they need to find out what they have in both rookie quarterbacks before next year’s draft. Gabriel hasn’t made a case to be the franchise guy. Now, it’s Sanders’ turn.

Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but anyone claiming they "learned" something from Sanders’ debut is either foolish — or desperate for approval from Deion Sanders and Black Twitter.

For now, all we have are 15 completions, two interceptions, and a 52.5 passer rating to review.

And the same unknown surrounds other rookie quarterbacks from this year’s draft. Specifically, it’s hard to evaluate Cam Ward and Tyler Shough, given the weak rosters around them in Tennessee and New Orleans. So far, Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart looks the most promising of the bunch.

Look, we’re not rooting against Sanders — we just don’t want to end up like Josina. We’ll know soon enough if he can play at a starting level.

The 49ers have a week of film to game-plan against him. Let’s circle back next Monday.