The Cleveland Browns came into Week 16 with a clear goal to upstage the Buffalo Bills. And in little pockets, they tried to do just that until they finally fell 23-20 to Buffalo. But the loss didn’t sting as much as losing their rookie running back Quinshon Judkins to injury. And after the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski has shared a grim update for him.

“Quinshon had an ankle dislocation, fractured his fibula. Obviously, very disappointed for the young man. He will bounce back.” Coach Stefanski opened his post game presser with this update. “But obviously, you never wanna see that with any of your guys. So he’ll get surgery, he’ll be back in no time, I know that.”

The injury occurred just after the two-minute warning in the second quarter as the Bills led 20-10. Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders connected with Judkins, but got tackled by Bills linebacker Matt Milano and his leg twisted awkwardly as he fell to the ground. The CBS broadcasters refrained from sharing a replay; that’s just how bad the injury was.

However, Kevin Stefanski seemed very optimistic when he said he expects Quinshon Judkins to “be back in no time.” But how soon is that? At 3-12, the Browns do not have any playoff hopes. Given the serious nature of Judkins’ injury and the impending surgery, it just looks like his 2025 campaign has come to a close. Any possible return to action will now be in the 2026 offseason.

With both Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson injured, the RB room fell to Trayveyon Williams and Raheim Sanders. Now it’s up to them to steal the spotlight in the last two weeks. But Week 16 had another injury scare, and this one had even bigger implications for the Browns’ offense: Shedeur Sanders’ finger injury.

Kevin Stefanski on Shedeur Sanders’ Week 16

Shedeur Sanders’ injury happened with 6:22 left in the second quarter. He ran to the sideline and appeared to be bleeding from his right pinky finger. He then headed to the locker room to get it checked out and fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel took over. However, Sanders came back with a bandage on his finger before the first half and continued to play.

“I did everything to come back because I didn’t want to put Dillon in a bad situation since I was a two,” Sanders noted post game. Even Kevin Stefanski was impressed with the grit Sanders showed, despite the loss.

“He battled like he does,” Stefanski noted in his presser. “I thought he made some unbelievable plays with his feet today, which I thought going into the game that may be the case. He’ll fight through injuries. Little finger injuries [are] not going to keep him out of there, but always room to grow for a young player, but really proud of how he fought.”

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Sanders had a mixed bag of performance in Week 16. Against Buffalo, he went 20-of-29 for 157 yards, a touchdown and two picks. But he also gained 49 yards on the ground across 4 carries, the highest in his NFL career so far. Up next are the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17, the last game of December after which the Cincinnati Bengals lie waiting for a flex game. Sanders has shown a fighting spirit and an ability to make explosive plays this season. The question now: can he keep fighting in the last stretch as well?