Shedeur Sanders had a mixed outing in the Cleveland Browns’ preseason opener against the Chicago Bears. The rookie quarterback showed his arm strength early, connecting on passes of 24 and 35 yards. However, his performance dipped later, as he finished 6-of-11 for 79 yards, no touchdowns and one interception.
After the interception, Sanders’ mother, Pilar Sanders, shared a clip from the game on her Instagram account. She added a direct message for her son: “Focus on your Focus. Never mind the chit chatter.”
Her message comes as Sanders remains involved in Cleveland’s quarterback competition. The Browns are weighing Sanders against Deshaun Watson, who started the preseason opener and played the entire first half.
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Sanders entered the game in the third quarter and remained on the field into the fourth. He made several strong throws but struggled with consistency against Chicago’s backup defense.
His interception came early in the fourth quarter on a badly overthrown pass intended for Malachi Corley. Beanie Bishop Jr. made the play, adding another mistake to Sanders’ night.
Sanders later explained that he made the right read but failed to execute the throw.
"What'd I see? The right read; it just slipped," Sanders said. "…that's what makes me be mad a little bit because of it…I just didn't execute the decision, but the right decision was made."
Browns coach Todd Monken acknowledged there were “operational things to clean up” but liked what he saw at times.
Cleveland will give Sanders another major opportunity against the Buffalo Bills. Monken confirmed Sanders will start that game and play the first half.
That contest could carry more weight as the Browns continue evaluating their quarterback options. For Sanders, his mother’s message offers a simple reminder to focus on improving rather than outside noise.
