The Cleveland Browns had a chance to tie things up against the Tennessee Titans late in the fourth quarter on Sunday. But they let the moment slip away in a 31-29 defeat. A failed two-point conversion, one that didn’t even have Shedeur Sanders on the field, killed their shot. Now that the dust has settled, the rookie quarterback has spoken up about the botched attempt and why he wasn’t out there for it.

“If I’m out there any play, I wish I would always have the ball in my hand, but that’s not what football is,” Shedeur said. “…In any situation, of course you want to, but I know we practice something and we execute it in practice and we just didn’t seem to this day.”

To his credit, Sanders actually put the Browns in a winning position. He went 23-of-42 for 364 yards and three touchdowns. On top of that, he added another score on the ground with 29 rushing yards on just three carries. And just to understand why Kevin Stefanski’s decision raised so many eyebrows, Shedeur had just led back-to-back touchdown drives in the final six minutes of the fourth quarter, capping one of them with a gorgeous back-corner throw to Harold Fannin Jr.

All Cleveland needed after that was a two-point conversion. Instead of riding the hot hand, Stefanski dialed up a wildcat look the Browns have sprinkled in this season. Rookie RB Quinshon Judkins took the direct snap, rolled right, and then tried to throw back across his body. The pass fell incomplete with 63 seconds left.

Based on the spacing, it looked like the play was supposed to feature a reverse pitch. But the timing was completely off. And the result?

The Browns came up empty on the conversion. They couldn’t push the game to overtime and ultimately conceded their second straight loss. A loss, Shedeur wasn’t exactly expected to take. As for Stefanski…well, he owned the decision afterward.

Kevin Stefanski took accountability for his Shedeur Sanders decision

As fans tried to wrap their heads around Stefanski’s late-game decision, the head coach didn’t deflect or offer a long explanation. Instead, he stepped up and owned it, saying he’d take full responsibility for the failed two-point conversion.

“Not going to get into all the specifics, but obviously did not go as we thought it would,” the HC said. “That’s on me. I’m responsible for all of it.”

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But that didn’t make it any easier for fans to swallow, as the HC’s decision eventually resulted in a loss. After all, the timing couldn’t have been worse for Shedeur Sanders. The fifth-round rookie finally earned the starting job just a couple of weeks ago. Right when it seemed like he was settling in and showing real flashes as Cleveland’s QB1, another curveball hit. Reports surfaced that the Browns might keep the Deshaun Watson era rolling into 2026.

Watson, who just returned to practice last week after his second torn Achilles tendon in the offseason, is reportedly being considered as a potential starter next year, per NFL Network. So while Shedeur is still expected to start the final four games of this season, the bigger question now is how Watson’s looming return might shape his future in Cleveland.

For now, though, the focus stays on the present. Expect Shedeur to run the offense again next week on the road against the Chicago Bears, especially after the strong outing he put together despite the loss.