CLEVELAND — Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski went with Tyler Huntley instead of Shedeur Sanders when the Browns had a chance for a winning preseason drive on Saturday.
With Huntley behind center, Cleveland drove to Andre Szmyt’s 37-yard field goal as time expired in a 19-17 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Huntley was signed to Cleveland’s roster after injuries at quarterback early in training camp. He moved the Browns 46 yards in six plays, completing his only pass for 7 yards. The veteran also had a 9-yard scramble to the Rams 24-yard line.
Huntley and the Browns benefited from three Rams penalties for 25 yards, including a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on linebacker Tony Fields II that advanced the ball to the Rams 33.
Sanders looked like a typical fifth-round rookie in his five series during the second half. After passing for 138 yards and two touchdowns on Aug. 8 at Carolina, Sanders managed only one first down and was sacked five times.
Sanders thought he was going to have the reins for the final drive after Los Angeles’ Jordan Waters scored on a 2-yard run with 2:08 remaining. But Stefanski told Sanders he was going with Huntley.
“It wasn’t my decision. Of course, that’s every quarterback’s dream and that’s what every quarterback thrives for, those moments, so it wasn’t me,” said Sanders, who completed 3 of 6 passes for 14 yards. “I was happy that Huntley got in, and he handled his business. If anybody else would do it, it would be him.”
While Stefanski wasn’t happy with Sanders’ play — including taking a 24-yard sack early in the fourth quarter when he kept scrambling backward instead of throwing the ball away — he wasn’t ready to put all the blame on Sanders.
“We didn’t play great as an offense in the second half. That’s never on one person,” Stefanski said. “So we can be better in a bunch of areas and just felt like we wanted to give Snoop [Huntley] a last drive.”
Amid the quarterback evaluations, which includes if Cleveland will keep four quarterbacks, Stefanski also had to be pleased about the play of Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel. Flacco had a touchdown pass, and Gabriel directed two scoring drives.
Flacco, the 18-year veteran named the Week 1 starter, completed 9 of 10 passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. The first-team offense was in for three series and 17 plays. On the second drive, he completed all four of his passes, including a 15-yard scoring strike to rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr.
“We completed the ball, did what we had to do at times, didn’t try to do anything crazy, got the ball in a few guys’ hands just to get them feeling the football too. So, ultimately, it was a good day,” Flacco said.
Gabriel went 9 of 11 during a two-minute drive late in the first half. The drive went 86 yards in 11 plays, including a 3-yard touchdown to Gage Larvadain with 17 seconds remaining. That put the Browns up 17-6 at halftime.
It marked the second consecutive week the third-round pick led a two-minute drive at the end of the first half. The possession at Philadelphia resulted in a go-ahead field goal.
“You want to continue to be aggressive and learn when it’s time to give it a shot or time to give it up and throw the ball away. So things that I’m learning and continue to grow, but want to do that for us to get better,” said Gabriel, who was 12 of 19 for 129 yards and a touchdown.
Winn goes the distance for Rams
Dresser Winn completed 15 of 23 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown. Waters finished with 41 yards on six carries.
Winn was off target on his first four passes before completing 12 straight for 145 yards. His first completion was for 33 yards up the left sideline to Terrance Ferguson on the first play of a six-play scoring drive that was capped with a 1-yard TD pass to Drake Stoops with 1:55 remaining in the first half.
“Stetson [Bennett] played eight full quarters. We thought it was an earned opportunity for [Winn],” Rams coach Sean McVay said. “I thought Dresser played really well. [Quarterbacks coach] Dave Ragone was outstanding in getting him ready for this game.”
It was the second straight preseason that the Rams have played Bennett in the first two games and Winn in the finale.
“I’m thankful for this opportunity. If somebody needs you to play, I needed to show I could play,” Winn said. “I’ve got to start out faster, but it felt a lot smoother once I got going.”
Key injuries
Browns: Starting center Ethan Pocic suffered a knee injury during the first series and did not return. Stefanski said Pocic will have an MRI on Sunday.
Up Next
Rams: Open the regular season at home against the Houston Texans on Sept. 7.
Browns: Host the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7.