Shedeur Sanders made a spectacular entrance into the NFL, leading the Cleveland Browns to a 24-10 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in his first official start. That game, played on November 19, 2023, would prove to be an important birth moment for both Sanders and the fledgling franchise. The victory ended the Browns’ 17-game losing streak when an opposing quarterback made his first career start. It was the conclusion of the longest active road losing streak in the NFL for Cleveland, which had extended to 13 games.
It’s an unbelievably personal moment, he was the 144th pick of the 2025 NFL draft. He started the regular season as the No. 4 quarterback behind Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett. He finally made his NFL debut in the second half of the Browns’ Week 11 contest against division rival Baltimore Ravens. In the game, he completed just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with a touchdown and one interception defensively. Though this tentative arrival foreshadowed a low probability for stardom, he went on to show that he could withstand the rookie anxiety of entering the league.
… to Sanders, who in his inaugural start against the Raiders showed the uncanny poise and poise …He finished 11-for-20 passing for 209 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He had a beautiful 52-yard pass to rookie WR Isaiah Bond. Peep this amazing play as he evaded a blitz on an important third-and-8 short-yardage situation deep in their territory.
Sanders came back to marquee form, becoming the first Cleveland signal-caller to win his first NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1995. He reached his own historic achievement when he became the Browns’ 42nd different starting quarterback since 1999.
I’m just really thankful to be out here and get this opportunity,” Sanders said after the game. It’s honestly such a thrill to go out there and just perform! I think you saw a lot of what Shedeur does well on the field today.
He was equally introspective talking about his road to this moment, admitting that the level of preparation differs from player to player. “Everybody starts at different places. Just because I didn’t get the summer reps… that’s life.” He drove home the point about always achieving results, regardless of conditions. No one cares if this was seven days of preparation,” he said. Many people are hoping I fail—and it’s not going to happen.”
Head Coach Kevin Stefanski said he was proud of Sanders’ performance but committed to keeping attention on the overall development of the team. And obviously proud of [Sanders], I’m proud of this offense, and there’s a ton of things to learn from. I’m going to focus on today,” he said. He highlighted Sanders’ ability to make difficult throws: “There’s not many guys in the league that can make that throw.”
Though he was only sacked once all game, Sanders felt the pressure and dealt with it accordingly. That resilience would prove essential in eventually guiding his squad to victory — both physically and mentally.
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