by PHOTO CREDIT USA TODAY
All eyes were on rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders as he made his first start in the NFL Pre-Season opener for the Cleveland Browns. It was a good one for Sanders as he went 14 of 23 for 138 yards with 2 touchdowns, no interceptions and was only sacked once. This performance was strong enough to lead the Browns to a 30-10 win over the Carolina Panthers on the road.
While his overall performance was solid, there were six plays that truly stood out and should give the Browns front office confidence in the rookie moving forward as a solid backup to Joe Flacco when the time comes.
HERE ARE THOSE SIX PLAYS
10:35 remaining in the first quarter on the Browns second drive of the game. Sanders is faced with a 3rd and 9 when he recognizes man coverage down the field and slips out of the pocket for a 12-yard run and a first down. This extends the drive, albeit, it does end up with a turnover on downs.
On the very first play of the second quarter, Sanders runs a perfect PA Boot Action rollout where he throws a dime to Caden Davis for the 7-yard touchdown. This came on the fourth drive of the game and tied it at 7. He did throw this into heavy traffic, but placed the ball perfectly where only Davis could catch it.
On their 5th drive, they faced a 3 and 8 from deep inside their own territory at the 9 yard line when Sanders avoided a blitz and threw a dart to Gage Larvadain for a 18 yard first down. He then avoided another blitz to rush for 9 yards on the very next play.
The Browns began their final drive of the first half with 3:02 left on the clock from their own 40 yard line. On the second play of the series, it was Sanders leading Luke Florea on a wide open connection that the wideout from Kent State made a beautiful one handed grab for 29 yards.
A few plays later, it was Sanders side stepping a blitzer through the B gap and hitting Davis for his second touchdown toss of the night. This one from 12 yards out to hand them a 14-7 halftime lead.
After a rough start to the second half, the Browns and Sanders got going again after capitalizing on a turnover and beginning their third drive of the second half from the Panthers 43-yard line. Sanders sparked the drive with a 25 pass and catch to Brenden Bates. A few plays later, it was Larvadain taking in a jet sweep on fourth and goal to extend the lead to 21-7.
