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Daniel Oyefusi
LAS VEGAS — As Shedeur Sanders walked off the field at Allegiant Stadium, he stopped for a moment to revel in the remaining fans who had waited for him at the visitors tunnel.
Sanders slowly raised his left wrist, flashing his trademark watch celebration, as the cheers crescendoed. He then formed a heart with his hands before heading through the tunnel, where he met his father, Pro Football Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, for a postgame embrace.
In his first NFL start Sunday, Sanders had an impressive showing, completing 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and an interception in the Browns’ 24-10 win over the Raiders.
Sanders, who became the 42nd quarterback to start for the Browns since 1999, also became the first Cleveland quarterback to win his first NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1995. The victory ended a 17-game losing streak for the Browns in games with a quarterback making his first career start. That was the longest streak by any franchise since 1950, when QB starts were first recorded.
The win also snapped a 13-game road losing streak for the Browns, which was the longest active streak in the NFL and their second longest in franchise history.
San Francisco 49ers. Stefanski previously said rookie Dillon Gabriel would return to the role once he cleared the NFL’s concussion protocol. Gabriel was inactive Sunday but returned to practice Friday in a limited capacity.
Stefanski said after Friday’s practice that Gabriel had not yet cleared concussion protocol.
«I’m not going to get into that,» Stefanski said. «Obviously proud of [Sanders]. I’m proud of this offense, and there are a ton of things to learn from. But I’m going to worry about today.»
When asked later about his process for naming a starting quarterback, Stefanski said, «I’m always going to take my time and do what’s best for the football team.»
It was a night-and-day performance for Sanders, who made his NFL debut in the second half of the Browns’ Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens after Gabriel was checked for a concussion at halftime and sidelined for the remainder of the game. In the 23-16 home loss to Baltimore, Sanders completed 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception.
Stefanski named Sanders the starter Wednesday. With a game plan tailored to him and a week of practice reps with the first-team offense — his first since being drafted by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft — Sanders showed more comfort a week after his debut. He was sacked just once after taking a pair of sacks in the second half against the Ravens.
«Everybody starts at different places, and like I said, just because I didn’t get the summer reps, just because I wasn’t in the best situation for me to be prepared to go out there and execute from a summer standpoint, that’s how life is,» Sanders said. «Everybody’s not in the best situation, but it’s no excuse. You got to go out there and perform. There’s no choice and no question.
«Nobody cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares? A lot of people want to see me fail, and it isn’t going to happen.»
Isaiah Bond. The completion marked what was at the time the longest pass play of the season for the Browns. The pass set up the second of rookie running back Quinshon Judkins’ two touchdown runs and gave Cleveland a 14-0 lead early in the second quarter.
«There’s not many guys in the league that can make that throw,» said defensive end Myles Garrett, whose three sacks Sunday gave him a career-high 18 this season and broke his previous franchise record. Garrett is now five sacks away from breaking the NFL’s single-season record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt.
«So, that was a hell of a throw,» Garrett added. «I hope he can continue to grow and develop from making plays like that and take it from there.»
Sanders later threw his first NFL touchdown in the fourth quarter on a screen pass that rookie running back Dylan Sampson took 66 yards to the end zone, giving the Browns a 24-3 lead.
«I think you saw a lot of what Shedeur does well on the field today,» Stefanski said. «I thought to make that [completion to Bond] off-schedule when we were out manned [in] the protection, get the ball down the field. So, there’s a lot that he’s doing well, and there’s a lot that he’s working on, which is what I appreciate about young guys that want to get better.»
Sanders, the 144th pick in the draft, began his NFL career in Cleveland as the No. 4 quarterback behind Gabriel, a third-round pick, as well as veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. Sanders began the regular season as the No. 3 QB — Pickett was traded to the Raiders ahead of the roster cutdown deadline — and moved into the backup role after the Browns traded Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct 7.
Gabriel’s injury ultimately opened the door for Sanders to make his first start — an opportunity he told CBS Sports in a pregame interview that he hoped to use to show the Browns «I’m who they been looking for.»
«I’m just thankful to be out here, have an opportunity, be able to go out there and play, go out there and start,» Sanders said. «You don’t know how surreal that feeling is, knowing that you have the responsibility of the Browns organization on your shoulders, having all the fans, everybody in here arguing with each other online and everything.
«Everybody has their differences about me. It is what it is, but I’m just thankful I’m here before you all today, and hopefully we cleared a little stuff up. But a real long way to go. It’s allowing me to grow, and I know it’s only one way and the only way is up.»
