The football world seemingly stopped to celebrate the conquests of Shedeur Sanders this past Sunday as the former Colorado QB was able to knock off the Las Vegas Raiders to record the first win of his professional career and just the third of the Cleveland Browns’ regular season campaign.
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It was a monumental win for Sanders, who has steadily become one of the most beloved underdog figures in the sport. Nevertheless, the game of football requires a short memory, and both Sanders and his fans will need to have one as they are now being tasked with a much stiffer challenge, the San Francisco 49ers.
The 23-year-old just became the first Browns debutante to start his career with a 1-0 record, but Cam Newton is advising the young signal caller to remain grounded, because if he can, then another win will likely come his way. “The San Francisco 49ers will struggle versus the Cleveland Browns defense,” the former Carolina Panther predicted during the latest episode of his 4th & 1 podcast.
“That puts the onus back on Shedeur, to say we’re not expecting you to win us the game,” he added, before offering three tips to the Browns QB. “Do your job. Play within yourself, but most of all, protect the ball. If you can do that, the Cleveland Browns will win the football game,” Newton stated, adding these “three things will help you beat the 49ers.”
The Week 13 matchup will take place at Huntington Bank Field, which has helped to keep Cleveland around in terms of the betting line. The 49ers are currently being booked as -5.5 point favorites, with the comeback on the Browns money line falling just short of offering 2-to-1 odds at +188.
Despite the fact that he was able to produce 209 passing yards on just 11 completions against the Raiders, Sanders’ passing yards prop is currently sitting at 156.5 yards, and his passing touchdown prop is a measly 0.5. Simply put, the oddsmakers aren’t expecting anything spectacular from the former Buffalo just a few days after Thanksgiving.
However, as Newton also pointed out, San Francisco continues to be one of the most injured teams in the league, and Brock Purdy’s prime-time performance against the Panthers, which saw him throw three interceptions, is inspiring anything but confidence right now. In other words, the Browns “don’t have to have a lot of skill when you have this type of defense,” so if they can play a complete game, they may just be able to pull this one off.
Then again, Sanders’ career has already managed to defy logic and the odds at every single turn. So, perhaps fans shouldn’t be too surprised to see him walk away with yet another victory in Week 13.
