Is Shedeur Sanders just Tim Tebow with better PR? Signs point to yes

Cleveland Browns fans got their wish on Sunday, as Shedeur Sanders was given the start at quarterback for a second straight week. Unlike last weekend's win over the dismal Las Vegas Raiders, though, this time Sanders was given a real opponent in the San Francisco 49ers — and the results were ... not great.

Sanders connected with a wide-open Harold Fannin Jr. on a 34-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter. Other than that, the numbers aren't pretty: Remove that one big play, and Sanders completed just 15-of-24 passes for 114 yards (4.79 yards per attempt) while taking three sacks, looking exactly like the checkdown merchant he was billed as in the pre-draft process and all throughout camp. (No matter what his most vocal supporters wanted to try and sell you.)

At this point, Sanders is the Browns' starting QB from here on out. And well he should be: He's clearly shown more potential than Dillon Gabriel. But the more we see Shedeur play in real NFL games, the clearer it becomes that the substance and the hype couldn't be further apart. In fact, he's starting to look eerily like another social-media phenomenon more famous for his fan base than his production.

Shedeur Sanders got a dose of reality against the 49ers

Again: Sanders is by no means a terrible quarterback. He has a quick release and above-average accuracy, and I'm not going to pretend like he's been put in an ideal situation in Cleveland. He clearly has a place in this league, and within the context of the Browns, he deserves a chance to show what he has and whether he's something to build around.

The problem is that he hasn't been billed as a talented but limited player who shows some promise but will need to work hard and make improvements to stick as a starter. He's been billed as the next big thing, a franchise QB waiting for whichever team will finally get out of the way and let him shine.

His biggest fans could get away with that for a while, when he was that most tantalizing of players: the backup quarterback. Now, though, we're actually seeing him on the field for a meaningful length of time in games that actually matter. And sure enough, he looks like exactly what all the "haters" thought he was. (Even in the win against Vegas, his overall stat line was propped up by some big plays off of busted coverages and yards after catch.) He still can't push the ball downfield, and he still takes too many sacks.

Don't believe us? Maybe some numbers will help drive the point home.

Sanders' early numbers NFL are reminiscent of another college icon: Tim Tebow

Like Sanders, Tim Tebow came into the league with an army of devoted fans — whether they cheered him on at Florida or were drawn to his national celebrity. Like Sanders, Tebow was considered a bit of a project when he entered the league, with some strengths but also clear weaknesses. And like Sanders, Tebow forced his way into the starting job sooner rather than later, as much because of public outcry amid a lost season as anything else.

Of course, we know how Tebowmania eventually ended up; once the novelty of his rushing ability and some fluky close-game luck wore off, the Broncos were left with a replacement-level passer. So, how does Sanders stack up to Tebow's production through his first three games?

Not great! Tebow actually completed a higher percentage of his passes, and did so while being more aggressive down the field. He was also a legitimate threat as a runner, at least early on in his career, while Sanders has some escapability but isn't threatening any defenses as a scrambler and is as likely to run his way into a sack as a big play.

To reiterate: None of this is meant to bury Sanders. He's still very young, and is trying to succeed amid a dysfunctional franchise that's put precious little help around him. This is directed less at him than his fans, who are doing him no favors by hyping him up to be something he very clearly isn't. His flaws are very much real, and there's no guarantee he'll work through them.