Can Shedeur Sanders rise to the occasion? Browns rookie QB to get valuable practice reps this week

CLEVELAND — Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders was put in a difficult situation when he made his NFL debut early in the second half against the Baltimore Ravens.

How Sanders and Cleveland's coaching staff handle this week's practices ahead of Sunday's game at Las Vegas — and the much-hyped rookie's possible first start — will give some indication of whether the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders will have a chance to show what he can do the rest of this season.

“I think you learn from every single play that you’re out there and there’s always lessons to be learned,” coach Kevin Stefanski said Monday. "There’s always going to be good and there’s always going to be bad. And that’s just part of playing and getting reps. And then part of learning is taking all those coaching points that come with those reps.”

Sanders went 4 of 16 for 47 yards with an interception in four second-half series, finishing with a 13.5 passer rating as the Ravens rallied for a 23-16 victory.

Sanders displayed some of the traits that dropped him to the fifth round in the NFL draft. After completing two quick passes on his first series, Sanders held the ball too long as the Ravens brought more pressure. Instead of throwing it away or side-stepping pass rushers, Sanders instead scrambled backward, resulting in further lost yards on sacks.

However, expecting Sanders to light it up immediately wasn't reasonable. He has not seen any practice snaps with the first-team offense, with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel getting all of those reps.

Guard Wyatt Teller said the offensive linemen had to get together in the locker room at halftime to learn Sanders' snap cadence so that they didn't get caught off guard and commit false starts.

“The starter gets the vast majority, obviously, if not the entire majority,” Stefanski said about the allocation of snaps in practice. “I will say this: We trust our players. Shedeur is putting in great work. You know, on the field, in the meeting room, he will be better with reps that he’s getting. Like any player would better. But we trust him and he’s somebody that’s continued to put in the work and will continue to do so.”

The only way for Sanders to build rapport with receivers Jerry Jeudy, Harold Fannin Jr. and Cedric Tillman is through practice reps, which he will get as long as Gabriel remains in the concussion protocol.

Bailey Zappe would likely be Sanders' backup if Gabriel is sidelined. Stefanski didn't say whether this week would serve as an audition for Sanders to take over the starting role the rest of the season.

“I’m not going to speculate on that type of thing. I know this — we trust our players, we trust our guys to put in the work, and we’re just going to be solely focused on this game that’s in front of us,” Stefanski said.

What’s working

Myles Garrett's pass rushing. With four sacks on Sunday, the All-Pro defensive end became the second player since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to have 10 sacks in a three-game span. Garrett, who has a league-leading 15 sacks on the season, had a team-record five at New England on Oct. 26 and one last week against the New York Jets. Pro Football Hall of Famer Richard Dent also had 11 during a three-game run in 1984.

Garrett has a chance to challenge the NFL record of 22 1/2 sacks in a season, shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.

What needs help

Rush defense. Cleveland allowed a season-high 65 yards before contact to Baltimore's Derrick Henry. The Browns also had five missed tackles against Henry, who finished with 103 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

Stock up

Devin Bush scored the second defensive touchdown of his seven-year career with a 23-yard pick-6 during the second quarter. Bush, who committed a holding penalty on a third down on the final drive last week against the Jets, picked off Lamar Jackson’s pass after it bounced off the hands of running back Keaton Mitchell.

Stock down

TE David Njoku had only one catch for 7 yards and has been held to three receptions over the past two games.

Injuries

CB Dom Jones is headed to injured reserve and will likely miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. ... OTs Jack Conklin and Cam Robinson are also dealing with knee injuries.

Key numbers

2 — Interceptions by rookie linebacker Carson Schwesinger on the season.

38 — Consecutive games in which the Browns have not allowed a 300-yard passer.

What’s next

The Browns hope to end a five-game losing streak to the Raiders.