Shedeur Sanders — Week 3: One Snap, With Watson Hurt
2026 NFL Season · Half-PPR Scoring · Monday, Sep 28
Sanders took one snap, his first of the season: first and ten at the Carolina 14 with 2:29 left, down 18–13, a short throw to Quinshon Judkins for no gain, while Deshaun Watson was out after being hurt on a roughing-the-passer play. Watson returned for the next snap and threw the winning touchdown on the one after that, in a 21–18 win over the Panthers.
When Shedeur Sanders's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
The full episode, in writing
18 to 13, Panthers, two 29 left, first and 10 at the Carolina 14. One snap earlier, Deshaun Watson had been hurt on a deep throw that Carolina intercepted, an interception wiped out by a roughing-the-passer flag that moved the ball to the 14. So Shedeur Sanders came in and threw short right to Quinshon Judkins, who was brought down at the 14 for no gain. −0.4 expected points added — expected points added is what a play was worth given down, distance and field position — and 4.2 points of win probability lost, the chance of winning the game after the play against before it. Watson was back for the next snap, an incompletion, and on third and 10 he threw the 14-yard touchdown to Harold Fannin that won the game.
The line: one pass, one completion, no yards. It is his only snap of the season; he did not appear in the play-by-play in Week 1 or Week 2.
Back in June the preview's frame for Sanders was a rookie season of eight games, seven of them starts, with more interceptions than touchdowns, and a three-way quarterback competition with a new coaching staff over it. Watson won the job and has taken every Cleveland pass play but this one. One snap, taken because the starter was hurt and handed back one play later, is not a change at quarterback, and the play-by-play gives no reason to think it is one. Cleveland is home to the Steelers on Thursday the first.
_Data via nflverse._
When Shedeur Sanders's week moves the numbers, you'll know — every episode, in one weekly email.
Keep going