The Cleveland Browns missed out on a chance to win their fourth game due to miscommunication between Quinshon Judkins and Gage Larvadain.
But running back Dylan Sampson opened up about what happened on the play where Judkins held on to the ball, leading to a failed two-point conversion in Cleveland’s 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field.
The Browns (3-10) nearly came all the way back from a 14-point hole in a span of 6:19 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders cut the deficit to eight when he ran in a seven-yard score, and Cleveland pulled within two after Sanders’ TD throw to Harold Fannin from seven yards out with 63 seconds in regulation.
Still, Cleveland fell for the fourth time in six games in Cleveland, with three of those defeats coming by seven points or less.
The Browns will try to snap their three-game losing streak against the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.
Dylan Sampson Had Quinshon Judkins’ Back After Failed Two-Point Play
The Browns went 0 for 2 on two-point plays Sunday and fell to 1 for 4 on the season on those tries.
Among those failed attempts was when Judkins lined up in as the shotgun quarterback in the wildcat formation. He was supposed to pitch the ball back to Larvadain on a gadget play.
Yet, after rolling to his right, Judkins never pitched the ball to the Cleveland wideout after a miscommunication. Judkins desperately tried to reverse his field back to the left then heaved up a prayer, but it fell incomplete, and Tennessee held.
The Browns had only two timeouts left, so after the Titans recovered the ensuing onside kick the game was effectively over.
Sampson spoke about the crushing nature of the play but also how Judkins had rebounded when he came into the Browns facility Monday.
“He’s the type of person where sometimes you don’t need to say anything,” Sampson said of Judkins. “I know that moment kind of hurt because there is almost no next-play mentality with that play.”
Fans both in the stands and on social media were frustrated with Judkins’ mistake, but Sampson tried to remind them that the 2025 second-round draft pick was not trying to commit the gaffe.
“All you could do is come in the next day and let everybody know we got your back the same way my teammates did with me,” Sampson said. “Nobody wants to mess up. We don’t do this intentionally. It’s going to happen. Plays are going to get made, so now it’s just about adjusting and bouncing back this week.”
Quinshon Judkins, Dylan Sampson Have A Bond As Rookies
According to Sampson, a fellow rookie who was chosen in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, he and Judkins have spent their rookie seasons trying to keep each other confident.
“We built this relationship where I know what it is with him, and he knows what it is with me,” Sampson said. “We lift each other up and we just keep making sure we’re ready to go mentally and physically.”
Browns’ Dylan Sampson Sends Clear Message to Quinshon Judkins on Wildcat Mishap