Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders has a tall order in Week 16 with a matchup against the Buffalo Bills up next for his 3-11 team. He’ll be looking to bounce back from the worst performance of his young career in last week’s embarrassing 31-3 loss at the Chicago Bears.
Sanders has had two strong performances against two of the league’s worst teams and two awful performances against two NFC contenders, so he is now at a place in his development where he has to prove that he can deliver a solid performance against a worthy opponent to convince the front office that he deserves an extended look in 2026 as the potential franchise quarterback.
Analyst Mac Blank shared a chart that supports the claim that he can be that franchise guy.
The chart shows that he is one of the quarterbacks in the league who creates plays outside of the pocket and makes pass attempts beyond the first read, which he is doing at a rate of over 20 percent.
“‘Shedeur Sanders hasn’t shown us anything to think he could be a starting QB.’ When was the last time the #Browns had a QB that could make explosive plays when everything breaks down? Get him a legit coach & an OL/WR corps that isn’t bottom 5 before we make any judgements.”
“Shedeur Sanders hasn’t shown us anything to think he could be a starting QB”
When was the last time the #Browns had a QB that could make explosive plays when everything breaks down?
Get him a legit coach & an OL/WR corps that isn’t bottom 5 before we make any judgements pic.twitter.com/Tt32I9UirI
— Mac🦬 (@tha_buffalo) December 20, 2025
It has been clear since Sanders’ first start that his ability to air it out deep down the field is something this offense sorely needed. His improvisational skills and ability to extend plays were traits that many scouts lauded during his days in Colorado, and he has shown glimpses of them during his first month as Cleveland’s starter.
There have been a few plays a week where he has been able to extend a play and hit a bomb deep down the field, and it’s fair to wonder how much more often he could do that if he had a sturdier offensive line and more reliable weapons.
Those are offseason issues, and for now, the hope is that he can keep making more of these plays on Sunday against Buffalo.
NEXT: Browns Veteran Could Have Big Performance On Sunday
