Cleveland Browns @ Las Vegas Raiders
Final Score: Browns 24, Raiders 10
Writer: Steven Pintado (@coachstevenp)
This was a tough game to watch if you enjoy high-powered offense. There was almost no offensive excitement on either side of the ball. The Browns’ defense completely stole the show, keeping the Raiders’ offense in constant distress from start to finish. Cleveland racked up 10 sacks and prevented the Raiders from establishing any real momentum until the late stages of the game.
The Raiders’ defense played well, too, making the Browns’ offense look just as shaky. Ultimately, the difference came down to opportunity and turnovers, and the Browns were the team that capitalized early. That early defensive dominance set the tone for an ugly, grind-it-out win.
Three Up
- Tyler Lockett — Continues to show chemistry with Geno Smith and led the Raiders in receiving.
- Harold Fannin Jr. — Was the only consistent option in the Browns’ offense and showed off the motor he has.
- Dylan Sampson — Showed off some speed with the biggest play of the game for a 59-yard touchdown.
Three Down
- Geno Smith — Not all his fault, but man, Smith missed way too many throws to his receivers.
- Jerry Jeudy — One catch on the day and made a critical mistake, allowing a fumble as the Browns were driving inside the 30.
- This entire game — It was a challenging game to watch, and, for the most part, everyone was bad on offense.
Cleveland Browns
Quarterback
Shedeur Sanders : 11/20, 209 Yards, TD, INT | 1 Carry, -1 Yards
Rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his first NFL start, and the results were mixed. It was clear the Browns wanted to protect him from being overwhelmed — they kept the offense conservative early with quick, short throws and only a few designed attempts downfield. The game plan leaned heavily on the run game and the defense, especially in the red zone, where the team often chose direct snaps to Quinshon Judkins instead of letting Sanders operate through the air.
On the positive side, Sanders looked noticeably better than he did while filling in last week. He showed the ability to extend plays with his mobility and avoid pressure at times, even escaping what looked like sure sacks. His best throw of the day was a perfectly placed 52-yard bomb to Isaiah Bond. Sanders also recorded his first NFL touchdown pass — though it came on a short pass that Dylan Sampson took 59 yards to the house.
On the negative side, Sanders struggled when pressure arrived immediately. His interception was on him, as he misread the coverage and threw it directly to the defender. He also had another near-pick later in the game. The coaching staff pulled him from the field multiple times for direct-snap run plays, which limited his rhythm and overall involvement.
With only 20 pass attempts, it’s hard to fully evaluate his performance, but he showed enough flashes to warrant another start. Sanders should remain the Browns’ quarterback next week as the team continues to ease him into the NFL game.
Running Back
Quinshon Judkins: 16 Carries, 47 Yards, 2 TDs
Quinshon Judkins rewarded fantasy managers with two touchdowns, but outside of those plays, his overall performance wasn’t very impressive. He handled around five direct-snap touches, and two of them resulted in scores, but he averaged under 3 yards per carry and had zero involvement in the passing game.
Judkins has been extremely touchdown-dependent over the past month, which is becoming a concern. He also doesn’t look like the same runner we saw earlier in the season — he’s not generating the same power or burst through contact. For now, he’s living off goal-line chances, but the underlying usage and efficiency trended in the wrong direction.
Dylan Sampson: 7 Carries, 23 Yards | 3 Targets, 2 Receptions, 59 Yards, TD
Rookie running back Dylan Sampson delivered the biggest play of the game with his 59-yard touchdown reception. It wasn’t a difficult grab — just a short swing pass to the outside — but Sampson turned it into a score by showcasing the elite home-run speed he brings to the offense. He saw more involvement in the second half as the Browns played with a comfortable lead, giving him additional opportunities to spell Jeanty.
Sampson remains a change-of-pace back with limited volume, but his explosive-play ability is undeniable and continues to flash whenever he gets the ball in space.
Jerome Ford: 1 Carry, -3 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Harold Fannin Jr.: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 40 Yards | 1 Carry 4 Yards
Rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. was the one consistently reliable option in the Browns’ offense. He served as Sanders’ primary dump-off target, always available underneath whenever the rookie quarterback needed to get the ball out quickly. Fannin showed impressive toughness and physical strength after the catch, breaking tackles and fighting for extra yards.
Right now, he looks like the top option in this Browns offense, providing steady production and a dependable outlet for Sanders as the unit adjusts to life with a young quarterback.
Jerry Jeudy: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 39 Yards, FUM (Lost)
Jerry Jeudy could almost be included in the missing in action group, but his one catch was too memorable to ignore. Jeudy hauled in a wide-open pass on a play extended by Sanders, but the moment he turned upfield, he failed to see the defender closing in behind him. While trying to set up a move on the defenders in front of him, he was caught from behind and fumbled, killing a promising Browns drive.
Jeudy has now struggled in back-to-back games following his big performance a few weeks ago. Moving forward, he’s a concern because he relies heavily on accurate, on-time quarterback play to maximize his route-running and separation. Without that, his production becomes extremely volatile.
David Njoku: 0 Targets
Cedric Tillman: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
David Njoku and Cedric Tillman made almost no impact in this game. They were on the field, but with how conservatively the Browns played things with Sanders, the passing volume simply wasn’t there. Cleveland relied heavily on safe, controlled plays, and Sanders wasn’t asked to push the ball downfield or challenge coverage often.
Given how limited the passing attack looked, it’s hard to expect many Browns pass catchers to be fantasy-relevant moving forward with the rookie under center. Unless the offensive approach changes, Njoku, Tillman, and the rest of the receiving group may struggle to produce consistent numbers.
Isaiah Bond: 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 59 Yards
Malachi Corley: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards | 1 Carry, -6 Yards
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Geno Smith : 30/44, 285 Yards, TD, 10 Sacks | 3 Carries, 8 Yards
Veteran quarterback Geno Smith had a rough afternoon against the Browns. From the opening drive, Smith had almost no time in the pocket, as Cleveland’s front seven proved to be a nightmare matchup for the Raiders’ offense. Smith was sacked 10 times, and honestly, it could have been even more given how often the pressure collapsed around him.
That constant pressure led to several poor throws. Smith wasn’t able to step into his passes or reset his feet, causing him to miss open receivers throughout the game. He also came close to throwing multiple interceptions, only to be bailed out by drops or defensive misplays.
There were brief flashes of solid quarterback play — especially when targeting Tyler Lockett — and late in the game, Smith finally got a bit more time, allowing him to deliver some accurate throws, including a garbage-time touchdown. Still, this was the kind of game that leaves a quarterback waking up sore the next morning, as Smith took far too many hits from a relentless Browns defense.
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty: 17 Carries, 50 Yards | 8 Targets, 8 Receptions, 58 Yards, TD
Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty put up decent numbers in this game, although the rushing efficiency wasn’t there. He averaged just 2.9 yards per carry, with his best run coming on a 12-yard burst where he showed his trademark power and aggressiveness, breaking multiple tackles for extra yardage. Outside of that play, the Browns did an excellent job bottling up the Raiders’ run game.
Jeanty made his biggest impact as a receiver, finishing with eight receptions. Most of that work came in the second half as the offense needed a reliable dump-off option with Smith facing constant pressure. Jeanty’s touchdown also came through the air — a short out route where he turned a simple checkdown into a score.
His involvement in the passing game continues to keep his fantasy value strong, but the Raiders’ offensive line needs to block better to give Jeanty room to operate and maximize his skill set.
Raheem Mostert: 1 Carry, 2 Yards | 2 Targets, 2 Receptions, 0 Yards
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Brock Bowers: 9 Targets, 6 Receptions, 55 Yards
The Raiders must play fantasy football because they made sure to give managers some garbage-time production from Brock Bowers. The star tight end was a non-factor for nearly 50 minutes of the game. Bowers had one early catch, then later added a strong contested grab in the third quarter, but for most of the afternoon, he was limited to short, underneath routes as the Browns shifted into a prevent-style defense to eliminate explosive plays.
On the Raiders’ final two drives, Bowers saw four of his six receptions, which made his stat line look much more respectable than his actual involvement. It also felt like the coaching staff didn’t do him many favors — Bowers was repeatedly lined up one-on-one against Denzel Ward, who consistently made life difficult for the second-year tight end.
If the Raiders want to maximize Bowers’ potential, they need to scheme him into better matchups and design opportunities that highlight his athleticism rather than isolating him against elite corners.
Tre Tucker: 10 Targets, 3 Receptions, 28 Yards
The Raiders’ WR1, Tre Tucker, had a frustrating outing against the Browns. Most of Tucker’s targets ended up as poorly thrown balls by his quarterbacks, limiting what could have been a huge day. Multiple times — especially early in the game — Tucker easily beat his defender deep, only for Smith to overthrow him or miss wide with no real chance for a catch. Tucker probably should have finished Week 12 with well over 100 yards and a touchdown, but the opportunities simply weren’t converted.
Tucker’s lone mistake came on a short out route that he dropped, costing the Raiders an easy first down. The team needs to protect Smith better so he can deliver more accurate passes downfield, because Tucker continues to consistently win his matchups and create explosive-play potential.
Tyler Lockett: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 62 Yards
Veteran receiver Tyler Lockett led all pass catchers in receiving yards, once again proving he is Smith’s most trusted target in the offense. Lockett and Smith looked completely in sync throughout the game, consistently connecting on tight-window throws. Three of Lockett’s four receptions came on perfectly placed sideline passes that he secured with ease.
His best play was a 33-yard catch over the middle, where he showed off his YAC ability to turn a solid gain into an explosive one. It would have been nice to see the Raiders find more ways to build up this chemistry, because the connection between Lockett and Smith was one of the few bright spots for Seattle’s passing attack.
Michael Mayer: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Dont’e Thornton Jr.: 2 Targets, 1 Reception, 14 Yards
Ian Thomas: 4 Targets, 4 Receptions, 36 Yards