Carolina
Panthers
0-2
24
FINAL
27
Cleveland
Browns
1-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPIn a thrilling Week 3 matchup, the Cleveland Browns narrowly defeated the Carolina Panthers 27-24, maintaining their momentum in the early stages of the 2026 season. The stakes were high as both teams sought to establish their identities, but it was the Browns who emerged victorious with a late-game drive that sealed the win.
Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders showcased his elite skills, throwing for 325 yards and two touchdowns, effectively leading his teamβs offense. Meanwhile, Jerry Jeudy was a standout target, racking up 117 receiving yards that helped keep the chains moving. On the ground, Jonathon Brooks of the Panthers made a solid effort with 87 rushing yards, but it wasnβt enough to overcome the Browns' aerial assault.
Defensively, the Panthers were led by Tyrel Dodson, who recorded 10 total tackles, but they struggled to contain the Browns' offensive rhythm. The gameβs turning point came late in the fourth quarter when Sanders connected with Jeudy for a crucial 40-yard completion, setting up the decisive touchdown that pushed Cleveland ahead for good. Despite a valiant effort from Carolina's defense, including a sack from Jaelan Phillips and an interception by Mike Jackson, the Browns' offensive execution proved too much.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shedeur Sanders | QB | 48 | 31 | 65% | 325 | 2 | 1 | 89.3 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 29 | 15 | 52% | 125 | 1 | 0 | 74.6 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathon Brooks | HB | 3 | 87 | 29.0 | 69 | 1 | 41 | 0 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 12 | 77 | 6.4 | 33 | 0 | 36 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 14 | 53 | 3.8 | 13 | 1 | 17 | 0 |
| Shedeur Sanders | QB | 4 | 45 | 11.3 | 33 | 0 | 34 | 1 |
| A.J. Dillon | HB | 2 | 24 | 12.0 | 16 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 7 | 17 | 2.4 | β | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| Bryce Young | QB | 3 | 2 | 0.7 | β | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Isaiah Bond | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | β | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 11 | 117 | 10.6 | 35 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | WR | 4 | 81 | 20.3 | 35 | 2 | 45 | 0 |
| Tetairoa McMillan | WR | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 20 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Harold Fannin Jr | TE | 5 | 44 | 8.8 | 18 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Denzel Boston | WR | 2 | 33 | 16.5 | 7 | 0 | 30 | 1 |
| Jalen Coker | WR | 3 | 31 | 10.3 | 8 | 1 | 24 | 1 |
| Quinshon Judkins | HB | 3 | 23 | 7.7 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Xavier Legette | WR | 2 | 22 | 11.0 | 8 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Isaiah Bond | WR | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 10 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Darren Waller | TE | 2 | 12 | 6.0 | 1 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Tommy Tremble | TE | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Joe Royer | TE | 3 | 6 | 2.0 | β | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Chuba Hubbard | HB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Joe Mixon | HB | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mike Jackson | CB | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyrel Dodson | WILL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tre'von Moehrig | FS | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tyson Campbell | CB | 4 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chau Smith-Wade | CB | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Bobby Okereke | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Scott | SS | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Carson Schwesinger | MIKE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Maliek Collins | DT | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah | WILL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Jabrill Peppers | SS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cam Jackson | DT | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaelan Phillips | LEDG | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Devin Lloyd | WILL | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jared Verse | REDG | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mason Graham | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Quincy Williams | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Grant Delpit | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mekhi Blackmon | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lee Hunter | DT | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nic Scourton | LEDG | 1 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaycee Horn | CB | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Derek Barnett | LEDG | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Denzel Ward | CB | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sam Williams | LEDG | 0 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jackson Kuwatch | MIKE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Isaiah Simmons | FS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kalia Davis | DT | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Andre Szmyt | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 41 |
| Corey Bojorquez | P | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ryan Fitzgerald | K | 1 | 1 | 3 | 42 |

