It wasn't the NFL debut Shedeur Sanders envisioned for himself. He struggled off the bench on Sunday, replacing an injured Dillon Gabriel, and completed just four of his 16 attempts as the Browns blew a first-half lead and lost 23-16 to the Ravens at home.
Sanders was critical of his own performance in the post-game, stating candidly that he didn't believe he "played good at all."
But while his performance on the field wasn't up to par - and in fairness, with limited reps, nobody in his position would be likely to play well - it was how he handled himself in the locker room that raised eyebrows from his teammates and the media.
Browns star edge rusher Myles Garrett told the media that Sanders immediately came into the locker room and addressed the team to try and take the full blame for the Browns' loss.
"(He) spoke after the game, and he wanted to pin it on himself and his performance, but we're not going to allow him to do that," Garrett said, via Sports Illustrated. "It's a team game, so we're all in this together.
"I tell him to keep his head up. I know there was one drive in which he kind of walked off, and I saw him putting his head down. I know he was kind of thinking about - he wants to make the play. He wants to have that game-changing drive because he feels like he has that ability, and we've seen it."
Sports Illustrated's Bri Amaranthus believes that Sanders' willingness to speak up in the locker room and accept blame "speaks volumes."
"His actions after the game speak volumes to who he is as a teammate and person," Amaranthus wrote.
Shedeur Sanders is already showing leadership off the field
Sanders will have better days on the football field. Those better days are probably coming next week as he prepares to start against the Raiders in Las Vegas with Dillon Gabriel in concussion protocol.
For the first time this season, Sanders will receive first-team reps in practice. That will make a huge difference for him as he takes the field against next weekend. A full week of preparation as the starter will have the former Colorado QB much better prepared to play than he was when he entered the game in the third quarter against the Ravens on Sunday.
Sanders has the talent, but what makes him special is the intangibles that Myles Garrett and the Browns got a first-hand look at on Sunday. Sanders could have easily deflected the blame and placed it elsewhere. He could have just stayed quiet, as rookies often do.
But Sanders took ownership as if he were the team's franchise QB. He already has the mentality, and with extra reps, the results will follow on the field.