Shedeur Sanders entered August 8, 2025 as Cleveland’s fourth-string quarterback, behind Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, and Dillon Gabriel. He left Bank of America Stadium having thrown two touchdown passes, posted a 106.8 passer rating, and led the Browns to a 30–10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in their 2025 NFL preseason opener — the kind of debut that shifts conversations about a depth chart whether a coaching staff admits it or not.
Table of Contents
Game at a Glance
Detail
Date
Friday, August 8, 2025
Venue
Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Attendance
71,205
Broadcast
NFL Network
Referee
Clay Martin
Final Score
Team
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
T
Cleveland Browns
0
14
7
9
30
Carolina Panthers
7
0
0
3
10
Scoring Summary
Qtr
Time
Score
Play
Drive
Q1
3:36
CAR 7–0
Jalen Coker 5-yd pass from Bryce Young (Matthew Wright kick)
9 plays, 73 yds, 4:35
Q2
14:54
CLE 7–7
Kaden Davis 7-yd pass from Shedeur Sanders (Dustin Hopkins kick)
2 plays, 10 yds, 0:42
Q2
1:04
CLE 14–7
Kaden Davis 12-yd pass from Shedeur Sanders (Dustin Hopkins kick)
5 plays, 60 yds, 1:58
Q3
3:55
CLE 21–7
Gage Larvadain 4-yd rush (Dustin Hopkins kick)
6 plays, 43 yds, 3:43
Q4
13:01
CLE 24–7
Dustin Hopkins 23-yd field goal
9 plays, 52 yds, 4:11
Q4
6:03
CLE 30–7
Cade McDonald 6-yd pass from Tyler Huntley (Dustin Hopkins PAT failed)
10 plays, 59 yds, 4:51
Q4
1:57
CLE 30–10
Ryan Fitzgerald 32-yd field goal
9 plays, 60 yds, 4:06
Team Stats
Stat
CLE
CAR
Total Yards
308
251
Passing Yards
183
211
Rushing Yards
125
40
Total Plays
66
53
Yards per Play
4.7
4.7
First Downs
20
13
— Passing
8
11
— Rushing
11
1
— Penalty
1
1
Comp / Att
20/31
23/35
Yards per Pass Attempt
5.4
5.4
INTs Thrown
0
1
Sacks – Yards Lost
3–6
4–27
Rushing Attempts
32
14
Yards per Rush
3.9
2.9
3rd Down Efficiency
6/15 (40%)
3/12 (25%)
4th Down Efficiency
1/2 (50%)
0/1 (0%)
Red Zone (Made–Att)
4/5 (80%)
1/2 (50%)
Penalties
6 – 34 yds
6 – 60 yds
Turnovers
0
2
— Fumbles Lost
0
1
Total Drives
13
11
Time of Possession
34:28
25:32
Cleveland Browns Player Stats
Passing
Player
C/ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
INT
SACKS
RTG
Shedeur Sanders #12
14/23
138
6.0
2
0
2–6
106.8
Tyler Huntley #7
6/8
51
6.4
1
0
1–0
130.7
Team
20/31
183
6.1
3
0
3–6
113.5
Sanders’s second-quarter connection with Davis came off a two-play, 10-yard drive after the Browns recovered a muffed Carolina punt at the Panthers’ 10-yard line — a 7-yard throw through two defenders in the back corner of the end zone. His most difficult completion of the night came rolling right under pressure: a 30-yard strike to Luke Floriea, who caught it one-handed. Huntley took over late in the third quarter and closed the scoring with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cade McDonald in the fourth.
Rushing
Player
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
Ahmani Marshall #39
8
32
4.0
0
11
Toa Taua #35
5
30
6.0
0
12
Trayveon Williams #36
5
26
5.2
0
13
Shedeur Sanders #12
4
19
4.8
0
10
Tyler Huntley #7
6
10
1.7
0
9
Dylan Sampson #22
2
6
3.0
0
5
Gage Larvadain #84
1
4
4.0
1
4
Kaden Davis #89
1
–2
–2.0
0
–2
Team
32
125
3.9
1
13
Receiving
Player
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
TGT
Sal Cannella #87
3
32
10.7
0
19
4
Brenden Bates #82
2
30
15.0
0
25
3
Luke Floriea #37
1
30
30.0
0
30
2
Kaden Davis #89
3
23
7.7
2
12
3
Gage Larvadain #84
2
23
11.5
0
19
3
Trayveon Williams #36
2
17
8.5
0
15
2
Toa Taua #35
2
16
8.0
0
9
2
Cade McDonald #31
2
11
5.5
1
6
2
Jamari Thrash #80
2
9
4.5
0
11
2
Ahmani Marshall #39
1
–2
–2.0
0
–2
1
Diontae Johnson #16
0
0
—
0
0
2
Chase Cota #81
0
0
—
0
0
2
Kisean Johnson #83
0
0
—
0
0
2
Dylan Sampson #22
0
0
—
0
0
1
Team
20
189
9.5
3
30
31
Carolina Panthers Player Stats
Passing
Player
C/ATT
YDS
AVG
TD
INT
SACKS
RTG
Bryce Young #9
4/6
58
9.7
1
0
1–1
137.5
Andy Dalton #14
13/19
101
5.3
0
1
2–17
59.3
Jack Plummer #16
6/10
79
7.9
0
0
1–9
85.0
Team
23/35
211
6.8
1
1
4–27
82.8
Young played two series — four completions, 58 yards, and the game’s opening score — before giving way to Dalton, who absorbed two sacks for 17 yards in losses and threw the interception that Nik Needham returned to midfield in the third quarter.
Rushing
Player
CAR
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
Emani Bailey #39
3
21
7.0
0
19
Chuba Hubbard #30
3
10
3.3
0
6
Rico Dowdle #5
3
7
2.3
0
3
Trevor Etienne #23
2
3
1.5
0
3
Raheem Blackshear #3
1
0
0.0
0
0
Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams #34
2
–1
–0.5
0
0
Team
14
40
2.9
0
19
Receiving
Player
REC
YDS
AVG
TD
LONG
TGT
Tetairoa McMillan #4
2
43
21.5
0
30
5
T.J. Luther #81
2
34
17.0
0
26
2
David Moore #83
2
26
13.0
0
17
6
James Mitchell #85
3
25
8.3
0
12
4
Rico Dowdle #5
1
20
20.0
0
20
1
Jalen Coker #18
2
17
8.5
1
12
4
Jimmy Horn Jr. #15
4
15
3.8
0
9
5
Trevor Etienne #23
1
14
14.0
0
14
1
Dominique Dafney #46
1
11
11.0
0
11
1
Adam Thielen #19
1
10
10.0
0
10
1
Kobe Hudson #86
1
7
7.0
0
7
1
Jacolby George #80
1
7
7.0
0
7
1
Mitchell Evans #84
1
5
5.0
0
5
1
Raheem Blackshear #3
1
4
4.0
0
4
1
Chuba Hubbard #30
0
0
—
0
0
1
Team
23
238
10.3
1
30
35
Defensive Stats
Cleveland Browns Defense
Player
TOT
SOLO
SACKS
TFL
PD
QB HTS
Adin Huntington #66
6
5
1.0
1
0
2
Carson Schwesinger #49
6
3
0
0
0
0
Christopher Edmonds #41
4
3
0
0
1
0
Winston Reid #59
4
2
0
0
0
0
Nathaniel Watson #40
4
2
0
0
0
0
Easton Mascarenas-Arnold #42
4
2
0
1
0
0
Chigozie Anusiem #35
3
3
0
0
0
0
LaMareon James #27
3
3
0
0
0
0
Tony Brown II #11
3
1
0
0
1
0
Donovan McMillon #31
3
1
0
0
1
0
Myles Harden #26
3
1
0
0
0
0
Dom Jones #37
3
0
0
0
1
0
Julian Okwara #53
2
2
2.0
2
0
2
KJ Henry #52
2
2
0
1
0
1
Alex Wright #91
2
1
1.0
1
0
1
Jerome Baker #17
1
1
0
0
0
0
Cameron Thomas #99
1
1
0
1
0
1
Keenan Isaac #38
1
1
0
0
0
0
Cade McDonald #31
1
1
0
0
0
0
Rex Sunahara #50
1
0
0
0
0
0
Sam Kamara #92
1
0
0
0
0
0
Trayveon Williams #36
1
0
0
0
0
0
Devin Bush #30
1
0
0
0
0
0
Ralph Holley #63
1
0
0
0
0
0
Jowon Briggs #97
1
0
0
0
0
0
Mason Graham #94
1
0
0
0
0
0
Nik Needham #25
0
0
0
0
1
0
Team
63
35
4.0
7
5
7
Cleveland Browns Interceptions
Player
INT
YDS
TD
Nik Needham #25
1
0
0
Carolina Panthers Defense
Player
TOT
SOLO
SACKS
TFL
PD
QB HTS
Thomas Incoom #48
5
5
1.0
0
0
1
Michael Reid #35
5
4
0
0
0
0
Isaac Gifford #25
5
3
0
0
0
0
Corey Thornton #31
4
4
0
1
1
0
Lathan Ransom #22
4
3
0
0
0
0
DJ Johnson #52
4
2
0
0
0
0
Bam Martin-Scott #57
4
2
0
0
0
0
Demani Richardson #36
3
2
1.0
1
0
1
Bobby Brown III #97
3
2
0
1
0
0
Trevian Thomas #42
3
2
0
1
0
0
Princely Umanmielen #33
3
1
0
0
0
0
Nic Scourton #11
2
2
1.0
2
0
0
Shy Tuttle #99
2
1
0
0
0
1
Christian Rozeboom #56
2
1
0
0
0
0
Krys Barnes #40
2
1
0
0
0
0
Sam Roberts #74
2
1
0
0
1
0
Jaden Crumedy #96
2
1
0
0
0
0
Nick Scott #21
1
1
0
0
0
0
Boogie Basham #54
1
1
0
0
0
0
David Moore #83
1
1
0
0
0
0
Tre Swilling #39
1
1
0
0
0
0
Shemar Bartholomew #27
1
1
0
0
1
0
Jacoby Windmon #41
1
1
0
0
0
0
Trevin Wallace #32
1
1
0
0
0
0
Cam Jackson #55
1
1
0
0
0
0
Chau Smith-Wade #26
1
1
0
0
0
0
D.J. Wonnum #98
1
0
0
0
0
1
JaTravis Broughton #43
1
0
0
0
0
0
J.J. Weaver #47
1
0
0
0
0
0
Jack Henderson #20
1
0
0
0
0
0
Patrick Jones II #91
0
0
0
0
0
1
Team
68
46
3.0
6
3
5
Turnovers & Fumbles
Fumbles
Player
Team
FUM
LOST
REC
Luke Floriea #37
CLE
1
0
1
Nathaniel Watson #40
CLE
0
0
1
Trevor Etienne #23
CAR
1
1
0
Special Teams
Kicking
Player
Team
FG
PCT
LONG
XP
PTS
Dustin Hopkins #7
CLE
1/1
100%
23 yds
3/4
6
Matthew Wright #37
CAR
0/0
—
—
1/1
1
Ryan Fitzgerald #35
CAR
1/1
100%
32 yds
0/0
3
Punting
Player
Team
NO
YDS
AVG
TB
IN 20
LONG
Corey Bojorquez #13
CLE
5
255
51.0
0
2
62
Sam Martin #6
CAR
7
355
50.7
0
3
59
Punt Returns
Player
Team
NO
YDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Gage Larvadain #84
CLE
2
38
19.0
30
0
Kaden Davis #89
CLE
1
16
16.0
16
0
Luke Floriea #37
CLE
2
9
4.5
5
0
CLE Team
5
63
12.6
30
0
T.J. Luther #81
CAR
1
8
8.0
8
0
Trevor Etienne #23
CAR
2
7
3.5
7
0
Raheem Blackshear #3
CAR
1
2
2.0
2
0
Jimmy Horn Jr. #15
CAR
1
0
0.0
0
0
CAR Team
5
17
3.4
8
0
Kick Returns
Player
Team
NO
YDS
AVG
LONG
TD
Luke Floriea #37
CLE
1
25
25.0
25
0
Kaden Davis #89
CLE
1
15
15.0
15
0
Trayveon Williams #36
CLE
1
13
13.0
13
0
CLE Team
3
53
17.7
25
0
Jimmy Horn Jr. #15
CAR
2
29
14.5
19
0
Trevor Etienne #23
CAR
1
20
20.0
20
0
T.J. Luther #81
CAR
1
17
17.0
17
0
Raheem Blackshear #3
CAR
1
15
15.0
15
0
CAR Team
5
81
16.2
20
0
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of the Browns vs. Panthers 2025 preseason game?
The Cleveland Browns defeated the Carolina Panthers 30–10 on August 8, 2025, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. It was the opening game of the 2025 NFL preseason for both teams.
How did Shedeur Sanders perform in his NFL preseason debut?
Sanders completed 14 of 23 passes for 138 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 106.8 passer rating. He also rushed four times for 19 yards. Sanders entered as Cleveland’s fourth-string quarterback due to injuries to Kenny Pickett and Dillon Gabriel, with Joe Flacco resting.
Who caught Shedeur Sanders’ first NFL touchdown pass?
Wide receiver Kaden Davis caught Sanders’ first NFL touchdown — a 7-yard pass in the second quarter after the Browns recovered a muffed Panthers punt at the Carolina 10-yard line. Davis also caught Sanders’ second touchdown, a 12-yard reception with 1:04 left in the first half.
How many passing yards did Bryce Young have against the Browns in preseason 2025?
Young played two series and finished with 4 completions on 6 attempts for 58 yards and one touchdown — a 5-yard pass to Jalen Coker that gave Carolina a 7–0 lead in the first quarter.
Who scored first in the Browns vs. Panthers preseason Week 1 game?
Carolina scored first. Bryce Young connected with Jalen Coker on a 5-yard touchdown pass at 3:36 of the first quarter, capping a 9-play, 73-yard drive to give the Panthers a 7–0 lead.
What were the team stats for Browns vs. Panthers preseason 2025?
Cleveland finished with 308 total yards (183 passing, 125 rushing), 20 first downs, and zero turnovers. Carolina had 251 total yards (211 passing, 40 rushing), 13 first downs, and two turnovers — one fumble lost and one interception.
Sanders finished 60.9% of his passes across nearly three quarters without throwing an interception, adding 19 rushing yards on four carries before giving way to Huntley. The Browns had outscored Carolina 30–7 by the time the final minutes ticked down — and Cleveland’s next preseason assignment was August 16 against the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, with the quarterback competition no longer a quiet internal discussion.
Statistics sourced from ESPN, NFL.com, CBS Sports, and the Associated Press. All data verified against official game records. Game played August 8, 2025, Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina.
Claire R. Conant is the founder and editor of The Press Row. Born and raised in New York, she spent years covering professional sports across multiple leagues before launching this publication in April 2026, largely out of frustration with a sports media industry that had decided moving fast mattered more than being right. Her reporting covers the NFL, NBA, MLB, cricket, and international football, and every figure published under her byline is verified against official data before the piece moves. She started The Press Row because she believed readers who actually understood the game deserved a publication built to the same standard. That standard has not changed since day one, and it applies to every writer on staff.
