Shedeur Sanders may lack some ability on the football field, but he definitely doesn’t lack confidence. In a late-season game, the Cleveland Browns’ rookie quarterback had no problem getting in the face of one of the most feared defensive players in the league.
Facing the Tennessee Titans in Week 14, defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons sacked Sanders and mocked the quarterback by using his “watch” celebration. Later in the game, Sanders completed a touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr. and sought out Simmons to let him know about it, giving the signature gesture back at him.
The Titans defender recently got honest about the confrontation with Sanders, which came right before a failed two-point conversion by the Browns that would have tied the game in the final minutes.
“He came back, found me, and did this in my face. I said, ‘This mother.’ So at that point, I’m like, I’m not gonna be quiet the rest of the game. When he did that, I’m like, ‘I’m not lettin’ him live,'” Simmons said.
Jeffery Simmons speaks on going at with shedeur sanders when he put up 380 yards of offense and 4tds pic.twitter.com/6WqgMgvagl
— Dalvinthetruth (@dalvinthetruth) March 14, 2026
The fact that Sanders would do that in just his third NFL start to a player of Simmons’ stature, at that moment in a close game, tells you all you need to know about the Browns QB. Simmons is a seven-year veteran and a four-time Pro Bowl selection who is considered to be one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL.
Sanders had plenty of reasons to be feeling good about himself in that moment. He rallied the Browns with two touchdowns in a little more than three minutes, including his own rushing score, and had his team on the verge of tying the game late in the fourth quarter. However, Sanders was on the bench for that fateful two-point play as running back Quinshon Judkins threw an incomplete pass after taking a direct snap.
Sanders finished with a career-high 364 passing yards and three touchdowns. He outplayed opposing quarterback Cam Ward, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, where Sanders had plummeted into the fifth round.
It would have been very interesting to see how Sanders would have celebrated, and how Simmons would have reacted, had the Browns been able to complete the comeback with a victory.
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