The Browns lost for the 26th time in 32 games when their attempt to upset the Bills on Dec. 21 at Huntington Bank Field came up short, 23-20, and that can only mean the heat is going to be turned up even higher on Kevin Stefanski. This stance is not going to be popular, but what is any head coach su pposed to do with the roster general manager Andrew Berry built for him? The injury situation got worse when rookie running back Quinshon Judkins was hurt catching a pass from Shedeur Sanders that lost six yards with two minutes left in the first half. Stefanski, in his postgame news conference, revealed Judkins suffered a dislocated right ankle and a fractured fibula. Fellow rookie Dylan Sampson was already out with a hand injury. Tight end David Njoku was out with a knee injury for the second straight week. A reporter tried to trap Shedeur Sanders into second guessing Coach Kevin Stefanski's decision to go for it on fourth-and-two with 5:08 to play. The #Browns were trailing the #Bills, 23-20. Sanders wasn't rude, but he did not like the question. @ShedeurSanders pic.twitter.com/jOgHaL9itk — Jeff Schudel (@jsproinsider) December 21, 2025 Joe Flacco was the starting quarterback when the season began, but Berry traded him to the Bengals on the first Tuesday in October for a 2026 fifth-round draft pick. The trade left rookies Dillon Gabriel and Sanders as the only two quarterbacks on the roster playing behind an offensive line that was suspect even when healthy and throwing to an inferior group of receivers. Whoever coaches the Browns in 2026 and beyond will benefit from the growing pains the team is going through. Sanders is 1-4 since replacing Gabriel as the starter. He completed 20 of 29 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown in the loss to Buffalo. He threw two interceptions and was sacked three times. The sacks came at the worst possible times. Edge rusher Greg Rousseau zipped past left tackle Cam Robinson when Stefanski went for it on fourth-and-2 from the Cleveland 44, trailing 23-20 with 5:08 to play, and sacked Sanders for 13 yards. Rousseau earned a half sack with former Brown Jordan Poyer the next time the Browns had the ball. One play later, on second down, pressure applied by Rousseau forced Sanders into intentional grounding, setting up third-and-32. The Browns’ chance of a valiant comeback was fried. “I just gotta probably just get the ball out a little quicker,” Sanders said. “That’s it. Yeah.” Sanders was taking the blame for poor play by Robinson and right tackle KT Leveston, both backups, when he made those comments. Sanders grew up with football privilege as the son of bigger-than-life Deion Sanders. Stefanski has coached that attitude out of him. PHOTOS: Browns vs. Bills, Dec. 21, 2025 Shedeur has 2.7 million followers on Instagram and 263,900 followers on X. He has a lot of people to please if that were important to him. “If you’re in a world of pleasing people, you’ll never be happy,” Sanders said in his postgame interview. “So I look at those moments (mistakes when he is second-guessed). Okay, like, you got me. “(If) you’re gonna give me (grief), give me now, because I know in the future, all these are building blocks. These are all lessons that I’m definitely putting in my bag and gonna grow from.” Browns owner Jimmy Haslam has not indicated his plans. He could fire Berry and Stefanski. He could keep both. It seems highly unlikely he would fire Berry and keep Stefanski. For what it’s worth, the Browns showed effort against the Bills — certainly more effort than they showed against the Bears a week earlier. Sanders has two games left to add to his bag of building blocks. Whether he will be the Browns quarterback next season, whether Stefanski will be his head coach and whether Berry will be his general manager are all unanswered questions. Maybe the best solution for everyone would be for Stefanski to resign and seek a fresh start with a new team. Even if he is retained, he will be on the hottest seat in the NFL when training camp begins next summer. A lot is wrong with the Browns. Fixing them goes far beyond firing the head coach. The Browns' Harold Fannin Jr. scores a touchdown Dec. 21. (Tim Phillis - For The News-Herald) Steelers at Browns When: 1 p.m., Dec. 28 Where: Huntington Bank Field Records: Steelers 9-6, Browns 3-12 TV: WOIO/CBS ...read more read less