It will be a very interesting 36 hours or so until Monday morning, when the Cleveland Browns were thought to be ready to declare a winner of their quarterback competition. Coming out of a mixed performance during a 31-7 preseason loss to the Buffalo Bills on Saturday, it is possible that Shedeur Sanders may wind up with the job after all.
Playing the entire first half, Sanders was sharp, completing his first eight passes and engineering a touchdown drive that ended with an 8-yard pass to Luke Floriea. He finished 9-for-11 for 74 yards and one interception that was the result of a deflection on a slightly inaccurate pass. His passer rating was 87.1.
Entering the game in the third quarter, Deshaun Watson was greeted with loud boos from the fans who earlier braved a long first-half weather delay at Huntington Bank Field. The veteran lived down to that greeting, going 5-for-12 for just 35 yards, with 20 yards coming on one pass to Malachi Corley. Watson was 0-for-5 on third or fourth down, including an interception, and posted a 14.6 passer rating.
final pic.twitter.com/85wiSXumI8
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) August 22, 2026
The fact that neither quarterback played with the first-team offense could lead head coach Todd Monken to extend the competition into the final preseason game, against the New England Patriots on Thursday, although he said that was unlikely. However, it would be very difficult to name Watson the starter after his performance, if that is what he was intending to do.
Otherwise, in a game very few starters took part in, the Browns did not accomplish much against the Bills. Buffalo backup quarterback Kyle Allen led an opening 75-yard TD drive for a 7-0 lead, and after the Browns tied it with Floriea’s touchdown, the Bills scored the next 24 points. It was much the same way Cleveland scored the first 10 points in their preseason opener before losing to the Chicago Bears 34-10.
Raheim Sanders made a strong case for the third running back job, but no Cleveland wide receiver had more than two receptions. Browns wide receiver Isaiah Bond left the game in the first half to be evaluated for a concussion.
The Browns’ defense gave up 368 yards, with linebacker Nathaniel Watson posting a team-leading 10 tackles. The offense, which was led by Dillon Gabriel in the fourth quarter, managed just 193 yards.
Now, fans and players alike will likely be waiting to hear what this game has to do with the upcoming QB decision.
NEXT: Key Browns Player Suffers Injury On Saturday
