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Shedeur Sanders spoke about the sobering reality of playing in the NFL as he led the Cleveland Browns to a victory over the Las Vegas Raiders in his first career start on Sunday.
Sanders’ performance was not the prettiest. He was 11-of-20 with 209 passing yards, one touchdown pass and one interception. He had a nice 54-yard completion to Isaiah Bond and then threw a dump to Dylan Sampson, who ran it for a 66-yard touchdown.
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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) throws the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)
The rookie quarterback said he was grateful for the opportunity, but understood the lack of reps with the first-team offense was no excuse for completing just 55% of his passes and finishing the game with an 87.3 passer rating.
“Everybody starts in different places. Like I said, just because I didn’t get 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 life,” he said. “Everybody’s not in the best situation. But that’s no excuse. I have to go out there and perform. There’s no choice. There’s no question.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) talks with head coach Kevin Stefanski during the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)
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“No one cares if this was a week of preparation. Who cares? So many people want to see me fail — it’s not going to happen. It’s not going to happen.”
Sanders started in place of Dillon Gabriel, who was out with a concussion. He called it surreal to be able to go out and perform for the Browns after being a fifth-round pick this spring.
He promised to fix some of the minor bugs as time goes on.
“It’s only one way, and the only way is up,” he said.
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With the win, Sanders became the first Browns rookie quarterback to win their first NFL start since Eric Zeier in 1995. Zeier was a third-round pick out of Georgia. He made his first start on October 29, 1995, defeating the Cincinnati Bengals in overtime. The Browns finished 5-11 that year and moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1996.
