Shedeur Sanders wins his 1st NFL start, Myles Garrett has 3 sacks as Browns beat Raiders 24-10
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LAS VEGAS (AP) — Myles Garrett getting three of 10 sacks by a ferocious Browns defense normally would be the top storyline for a struggling Cleveland team.
But rookie Shedeur Sanders’ NFL starting debut always figured to overshadow anything else the Browns accomplished Sunday.
Sanders made the plays the Browns needed, passing for 209 yards and a touchdown to help Cleveland to a 24-10 victory over the Raiders, the fifth straight loss for Las Vegas.
The Browns (3-8) ended a three-game skid while starting their 42nd quarterback since the franchise’s return in 1999. Sanders replaced fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who’s in the concussion protocol, and ended a 17-game losing streak by Cleveland QBs making their first start.
Browns coach Kevin Stefanski wouldn’t commit to sticking with Sanders as the starter when Cleveland hosts San Francisco next Sunday.
“I’m not going to get into that,” Stefanski said. “Proud of him and proud of this offense. There are a ton of things to learn from, but I’m just going to worry about today.”
Sanders can thank the Browns’ defensive front, which was no match for the Raiders’ porous offensive line. Las Vegas has allowed 20 sacks over the past three weeks.
Garrett now has 18 sacks this season to break his franchise record of 16, set twice. With six games left, he needs five sacks to break the NFL record of 22 1/2 set by Michael Strahan in 2001 and T.J. Watt in 2021.
Garrett has 14 sacks over the past five games, the most in a five-game span since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. The four-time All-Pro also had two forced fumbles, four tackles for loss and six quarterback hits on Sunday.
Eight Browns players had at least half a sack.
“That’s the thing I’m most excited about,” Garrett said. “That puts a smile on my face. The franchise record, I kind of expect that of myself. I continue to set the bar higher and higher.”
Running back Quinshon Judkins scored two first-quarter touchdowns for Cleveland on direct snaps out of the wildcat formation.
Las Vegas (2-9), which has lost nine of 10, punted eight times, turned it over on downs twice and lost a fumble. The Raiders’ offense was booed frequently by the Allegiant Stadium crowd.
“We’re pretty disappointed about this one, but if you don’t score, you can’t win and we couldn’t score,” coach Pete Carroll said. “The numbers are, whatever, they’re next to nothing. We had opportunities to make big plays, and we didn’t hit them. Quarterback was under duress the entire time, so our ability to match up with their pass rush didn’t work out well.”
Geno Smith passed for 285 yards and a touchdown, though many of those yards came late with the Browns playing softer on defense. Maxx Crosby had a personal-high five tackles for loss.
“Everyone’s going to be searching for answers and solutions when things are not going exactly well,” Crosby said. “Unfortunately, we’re just not good enough right now. It’s been pretty clear. That’s the reality of it, and we’ve got to get better.”
Sanders’ presence brought a bit of juice to this late-November battle of bottom-of-the-barrel teams. Deion Sanders, the Pro Football Hall of Fame player and current Colorado coach, hugged his son before the game.
When asked by a CBS sideline reporter before the game what Browns fans should hope to see, Shedeur Sanders said, “I’m who they’ve been looking for.”
He was just as confident afterward.
“A lot of people want to see me fail,” Sanders said, “and it ain’t going to happen.”
He showed that late in the first quarter, escaping a blitz to find Isaiah Bond for a 52-yard pass to the 2-yard line, drawing an I-can’t-believe-he-did-that look from Garrett on the sideline. That throw ended a 15-game drought without a 50-yard completion for a Cleveland quarterback.
In the fourth quarter, Sanders dumped off a pass to running back Dylan Sampson, who turned it into a 66-yard TD.
The Browns ended a five-game losing streak to the Raiders. Their most recent victory was on Oct. 26, 2014, a 23-13 win at Cleveland.
Injuries
Browns: DE Adin Huntington (groin) was hurt in the third quarter.
Raiders: TE Michael Mayer (ankle) was injured in the second quarter. RB Ashton Jeanty (ankle) left late in the fourth after taking a big hit.
Up next
Browns: Host San Francisco next Sunday.
Raiders: Visit the Los Angeles Chargers next Sunday.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL