The night didn’t give the Cleveland Browns a win, but it finally gave their fans something they’ve been waiting on for months: Shedeur Sanders finally playing quarterback. With Dillon Gabriel pulled for a concussion evaluation, Sanders stepped onto an NFL field for the first time. And he had some interesting things to say after his long-awaited NFL debut.

Sanders opened his press conference by thanking the Almighty and then talked about what it felt like to finally be out there.

“That’s all I could ask for. A chance to get out there, get your feet wet. To experience how it feels to be out there with the team, the first group, with everybody,” the Browns’ QB said.

It’s been a winding road for him, sliding in the draft, starting the year buried on the depth chart, watching veterans cycle in and out while he waited quietly. When the Browns moved on from Kenny Pickett and Joe Flacco, he climbed to QB2. Tonight, he got the call. And he didn’t take that lightly.

“The most I could ask for is opportunity. That’s an uncontrollable thing. That’s nothing I should speak on. They gave me the opportunity, I didn’t do up to my expectation, enough to get us a win,” Sanders added.

For a young quarterback, these snaps matter, win or lose. He talked about how much the first-team reps during the week helped him feel the speed and variety of what NFL defenses throw at you.

“It helped me understand the concepts a lot. But it’s different when it’s different body types out there. Different ways people get to routes. I like knowing every detail about my receivers. What they’re good at, what they’re not good at,” he continued.

The crowd erupted when he entered the game, but Sanders didn’t exactly bask in the moment. In fact, he asked fans to keep supporting Gabriel the same way.

“I appreciate the fans, I appreciate everybody. But I’m a good person, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable and confident when he gets out there. So, it puts everything in a tough spot where it’s not helping the team. That could be taken as ‘okay, I’m being a distraction even though I’m not doing anything.'”

He ended the presser by thanking every single one who believed in him and made his debut possible.

“But I’m thankful for the support. I’m thankful for the fans. Thankful for everybody out there who believes in him. Just thankful I’m out there. It was a great feeling,” he said.

But he didn’t sugarcoat the most important part: his play. Sanders made it clear he wasn’t satisfied.

Shedeur Sanders wasn’t a fan of his performance

Fans had been waiting for a glimpse of the rookie quarterback, and when he finally trotted out to open the second half against Baltimore, the building sounded ready to carry him wherever he wanted to go. But the spark didn’t turn into much. The Ravens held on for a 23–16 win, and Sanders didn’t pretend his performance was anything other than what it was.

“I don’t think I played good. I don’t think I played good at all. I think there’s a lot of things we need to look at during the week,” the quarterback said.

Shedeur Sanders took over with a six-point lead and a chance to steady an offense that’s been stuck in neutral for months. Instead, he finished 4-for-16 for 47 yards, an interception, two sacks, and a passer rating of 13.3. After completing his first two throws with some confidence, everything tightened.

Still, he had opportunities. Multiple drives in the second half started with Cleveland down just one score, and each time the ball came back without points. Against the Ravens, that’s usually all it takes for the window to close.

Dillon Gabriel’s status remains up in the air as he works through concussion protocol, and if he’s not cleared in time for the Raiders game, Sanders would be the next man up. If there’s one thing that we know for sure, it’s that he won’t get too many chances to impress Kevin Stefanski, who obviously doesn’t trust him too much.

He needs to make next week count.