“I felt like me out there,” he told reporters, brushing off the noise that had followed him all week. Shedeur Sanders walked into one of the most talked-about preseason games, with tension boiling before the ball was even snapped. ESPN’s Louis Riddick was among those questioning Kevin Stefanski’s decision to throw the rookie quarterback into the fire, hinting it might be a setup for failure. But once the game started, Sanders’ poise and control silenced all the doubts.

A few days earlier, Stefanski had already set the stage by confirming that several starters would be watching from the sidelines in the preseason opener. Friday night was for the younger legs. “We’ll rest some starters. Some players will play, obviously holding out some guys due to injury,” the coach said. Dillon Ga

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