Shedeur Sanders endured another brutal chapter in his challenging rookie NFL season on Sunday, as the Cleveland Browns quarterback was mercilessly mocked by opponents during a narrow home defeat.
Humiliation on Home Turf
The Tennessee Titans, arriving in Cleveland with a dismal 1-11 record for the 2025 season, pulled off a 31-29 upset victory at Huntington Bank Field. The result condemned Sanders and the Browns to their eleventh loss of the campaign and marked a second consecutive defeat for the rookie since becoming the starting quarterback.
Despite the loss, the 23-year-old son of NFL legend Deion Sanders enjoyed his most productive afternoon statistically since taking over from Dillon Gabriel. He threw for three touchdowns, ran for another score, and amassed nearly 400 total yards of offence.
A Celebration Turned Against Him
The game's most painful moments for Sanders came in the fourth quarter. After connecting with running back Dylan Sampson on a short pass, the Titans forced a critical fumble. Players from the visiting team then rubbed salt in the wound by impersonating Sanders' trademark watch celebration directly in front of the disheartened Cleveland fans.
This was not an isolated incident. Just minutes earlier, Titans defensive tackle Jeffrey Simmons had sacked Sanders and mimicked the same celebration. The taunting is becoming a worrying trend for the rookie; last month, Baltimore Ravens star Kyle Hamilton subjected him to identical humiliation after a sack on his NFL debut.
A Rocky Start to a Professional Career
The game presented a matchup of two rookie quarterbacks on very different paths. Sanders faced No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who has also experienced struggles since joining the Titans. Sanders' own draft slide was a major story back in April; once tipped as a potential first-round selection, he suffered a humiliating wait until the Browns finally selected him in the fifth round.
Deion Sanders was a visible presence in the crowd, seen embracing his son ahead of the game. However, the Hall of Famer's support from the stands could not shield Shedeur from another difficult day where his personal success was overshadowed by team failure and very public disrespect from rivals.
