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Shedeur Sanders notches first career NFL touchdown pass, a 66-yard catch-and-run

FaceProfileby: Thomas Goldkamp11 hours ago
Shedeur Sanders
Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Fifth-round NFL Draft pick Shedeur Sanders has had a highly scrutinized path to real playing time at football’s highest level, but he’s making it count. On Sunday, he recorded his first career touchdown pass.

He had plenty of help. Sanders essentially just dumped a pass off to the flats, then let his running back go to work. After he found fellow rookie Dylan Sampson in the right flats, Sampson went to work.

The talented running back cut between two defenders at the first level, then turned on the jets. As he neared the first-down marker, Sampson split three defenders and then simply outraced the rest of the defense to the end zone for a 66-yard touchdown catch. You can check it out below.

The big touchdown pass will be a nice feather in the cap of Shedeur Sanders, who has certainly had to wait patiently to get his shot at the starting job. Sanders began the season buried on the depth chart.

However, Sanders began to get some run last week against the Baltimore Ravens. He went 4-of-16 passing for 47 yards with no touchdowns and an interception in a truly dismal showing.

Still, Cleveland opted to start him on Sunday against Las Vegas. And so far things are going quite well. Cleveland led 24-3 in the fourth quarter after Sampson’s long touchdown run.

Analyst Booger McFarland broke down the complicated dynamics in the Cleveland quarterback room that led to Sanders not getting a shot until now. There’s a lot to digest.

“I think there’s equal blame to go around,” McFarland said Wednesday on SportsCenter. “I’ve been listening to this narrative all week long that the coaching staff is sabotaging Shedeur Sanders. Let’s understand this – until a month ago, he was the No. 3 quarterback. No. 3 quarterbacks get zero reps. Then, you trade away Joe Flacco. Now, he becomes the No. 2, but he’s the No. 2 behind a rookie who you’re trying to get ready. So they’re going to be limited reps for not just the first rookie, for the second rookie.

“With all that being said, he has his opportunity right now. Today is Wednesday. He knows he’s the starter – he has all week long to prepare. He can get every rep, he can be at the facility at 5 a.m., he can leave at 10:00 at night. This is his week to go out and show, ‘I have a week to prepare as the starter, I am the starter on Sunday.’ Now, show up and perform. Because as a player, at some point, the onus is on you to go out and perform. So now, he’s got his opportunity. Let’s make the best of it, Shedeur.”

Shedeur Sanders certainly appears to be doing that. Late in the fourth quarter he was 11-of-20 passing for 209 yards and a touchdown, though he had also thrown an interception.

On3’s Nick Schultz also contributed to this report.