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Shedeur Sanders vs Bryce Young: Browns, Panthers reap early rewards; youngsters make the perfect case for QB1
Shedeur Sanders and Bryce Young went head-to-head for the first time in the NFL as the Cleveland Browns took on the Carolina Panthers on Friday
Shedeur Sanders and Bryce Young went head-to-head for the first time in the NFL as the Cleveland Browns took on the Carolina Panthers on Friday. The rookie was quick to show why he is rated so highly, registering his first touchdown in the second quarter to level the score at 7-7. Young, on the other hand, started the game, but soon had to hand over the quarterback reins to veteran Andy Dalton.
Before going off the field, Bryce Young, first overall by the Panthers in the 2023 Draft, challenged the Browns defense and completed four of his six attempted passes.
Shedeur Sanders' big moment
After a disappointing Q1 for Cleveland, Sanders lit up the Q2 with his first NFL touchdown pass. He was not done. The 23-year-old threw brilliantly, with a play-action bootleg run to his left and a thread pass to Kaden Davis being the highlight of his preseason debut.
With about nine minutes left in Q2, Sanders executed a deep throw. He stood in the pocket, read the defense, and hit a wide-open target. The Jackson and Colorado alum followed up with a nine-yard scamble and a QB sneak.
Fans were impressed with Sanders' gameplay. “Shedeur Sanders fits this in a tight window going to his left. Extremely difficult throw & you couldn’t place it any better. Excellent,” one person wrote on X, platform formerly known as Twitter.
“Shedeur Sanders haters trying to find a new excuse after seeing him throw a touchdown in the NFL,” another fan tweeted.
“Shedeur Sanders is fun to watch,” a third one added.
The young quarterback's legendary father, Deion Sanders, said he's already spoken with his son and that Shedeur is well prepared and is approaching the exhibition like a regular-season game.
“That’s how he’s always approached everything, to prepare and approach it like this is it,” Sanders said. "He’s thankful and appreciative of the opportunity. He don’t get caught up in all the rhetoric in the media. He’s far beyond that. He was coached through that when he was a kid. We’ve always gone through that.”
Sanders has been bothered by shoulder soreness in recent days, but Stefanski said Wednesday that's no longer an issue.
He played in 50 college games, completing 1,267 of 1,808 passes for 14,353 yards with 134 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. He also ran for 17 touchdowns.
