Cincinnati Bengals Preparing For NFL To Drop The Hammer On Star Player For His Actions vs. Browns
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
The Cleveland Browns pulled off a big upset to close out the season. However, in the end, those who advised Deion Sanders to skip Shedeur Sanders’ regular-season finale vs. the Cincinnati Bengals may have been right all along.
No. 12 took a big hit in the second quarter, and the Bengals might now be bracing for one of their players to get a lofty fine. Defensive end Cedric Johnson made contact with Sanders’ head and neck. His team lost 15 yards due to a roughing-the-passer penalty, and given how the league has dealt with similar infractions, he could be looking at something close to $17,000 in a potential fine.
The contact was marginal, but given that it was still aggressive enough to warrant a penalty, his pockets might be a little lighter. The league announces penalties on Saturday at 4:00 PM (E.T.). If fined, he can appeal, with former NFL players Jordy Nelson, Ramon Foster, or Derrick Brooks and current officers of the league listening to his case.
Shedeur Sanders Leads Browns To Win Despite Big Hit From Cedric Johnson
Neither the Bengals nor the Browns had anything to play for other than pride in Week 18. Still, star defensive end Myles Garrett was trying to set a new single-season record for the most sacks. Shedeur Sanders, on the other hand, had one final chance to make his case to be the starter next season.
The rookie out of Colorado completed just 11 of 22 passes for 111 yards and no touchdowns. He also scrambled three times for 26 yards, and took six sacks for a loss of 29 yards.
Per Football Reference, Sanders finished the season with 1,400 passing yards. He completed just 56.6 percent of his passes and had seven touchdowns against ten interceptions. He took 23 sacks in just eight games (seven starts), adding 21 carries for 169 yards, one rushing touchdown, and two fumbles (one lost).
That might not be enough to convince GM Andrew Berry that he’s the right guy for the job. The Browns just parted ways with head coach Kevin Stefanski after six years in the job and two losing seasons in a row. Now, the team has to make a decision about their quarterback situation and hire their new head coach according to their plans for the position.
