What could’ve been a hopeful turning point for the Cleveland Browns turned into another gut punch, as they squandered a fourth-quarter lead and fell 23-16 to the Baltimore Ravens, spoiling Shedeur Sanders’ NFL debut and extending their losing streak to three games.

Cleveland led most of the afternoon, powered not by its offense, but by another big moment from the defense.

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Linebacker Devin Bush, one week removed from a costly holding penalty against the Jets, appeared to redeem himself in a major way when he snagged a tipped pass off Keaton Mitchell’s hands and took it 23 yards for his first career pick-six, giving the Browns a 13-3 advantage in the second quarter.

But the offense never found its footing.

Dillon Gabriel started and played reasonably well, going 7 of 10 for 68 yards before exiting with a concussion just after halftime. That opened the door for Shedeur Sanders’ long-anticipated debut, but the rookie’s first NFL action unfolded under the worst possible circumstances … trailing, on the road, against a resurgent Ravens defense.

Sanders looked every bit like a quarterback thrown into the fire.

He finished just 4 of 16 for 47 yards, with an interception and two sacks, posting a 13.5 passer rating. Still, he nearly authored a late miracle. After Mark Andrews’ stunning 35-yard fourth-down touchdown run put Baltimore ahead 23-16 with 2:31 to play, Sanders hit Harold Fannin Jr. for 25 yards and guided the Browns to the Ravens’ 25-yard line. The drive stalled there, and on fourth-and-5, his final pass to David Njoku came up short, sealing another bitter loss.

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Cleveland wasted a dominant individual performance from Myles Garrett, who sacked Lamar Jackson four times and continued his historic pace with his fifth straight season of 13-plus sacks. Cleveland’s defense held Baltimore in check for long stretches, but couldn’t get the one stop that mattered most on Andrews’ game-breaking run.

Now 2-8 and searching for answers, Cleveland heads to Las Vegas next week, carrying the weight of another missed opportunity and the growing sense that this season is slipping away.