Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) drops back to pass during the third quarter against the Baltimore Ravens at Huntington Bank Field.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his long-awaited debut Sunday, but the outing hardly went the way the rookie would have liked it to go.

The fifth-round pick out of Colorado, whose slide became the story of the 2025 NFL Draft, stepped into Sunday's game against the Baltimore Ravens after halftime, when starter Dillon Gabriel was evaluated for a concussion and later ruled out for the remainder of the contest.

Sanders struggled to find a comfort zone in the contest, watching the Browns fall 23-16 as the team squandered a 16-10 lead when he stepped in.

Shedeur Sanders stats

Sanders finished with 47 yards on 4-of-16-passing with one interception and two sacks taken.

Sanders' first NFL pass to Browns wide receiver Cedric Tillman went for a 5-yard completion. On third-and-8, however, he was sacked by Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, who celebrated with an apparent approximation of Sanders' signature watch celebration.

On his second possession, Sanders threw an errant pass deep in Browns territory on third-and-10 that was intercepted by Ravens cornerback Nate Wiggins. Sanders took a big hit shortly after releasing the ball.

After Cleveland took the ball back with its own interception one play later, Sanders converted a third-and-3 with a 5-yard scramble. But the series came to an abrupt halt when he took a sack on third-and-6.

With the game tied at 16-16 late in the fourth quarter, Sanders committed intentional grounding from Cleveland's 20-yard line to seal another three-and-out. The Ravens took the lead on the following drive with a 35-yard Mark Andrews touchdown.

While Sanders led Cleveland to the Baltimore 25-yard line in the final minute, his fourth-down throw to tight end David Njoku was broken up by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith to seal the outcome.

Will Shedeur Sanders start for the Browns in Week 12?

Unless Gabriel remains in the concussion protocol, Sanders will return to his backup role for next Sunday's matchup at the Las Vegas Raiders, Stefanski said after the game.

Sanders had yet to take a regular-season snap in his rookie campaign until Sunday. He began the season as the third-string option behind starter Joe Flacco and Gabriel, the third-round rookie who was installed as the backup. After the Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals, however, Sanders took over as the No. 2 option.

Despite Gabriel's struggles in recent weeks, head coach Kevin Stefanski resisted a change at quarterback and kept out of the mix for first-team practice reps.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shedeur Sanders struggles in NFL debut as Browns squander lead in loss to Ravens

Reporting by Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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