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Shedeur Sanders spoke about the sobering reality of playing in the NFL while leading 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-for-20 with 209 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. He had a nice 54-yard completion to Isaiah Bond and then threw a pass to Dylan Sampson, who ran 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/Image Images)
The rookie quarterback said he was grateful for the opportunity, but understood that his lack of reps with the first-team offense was no excuse for completing only 55% of his passes and finishing the game with a passer rating of 87.3.
“Everyone starts in different places. Like I said, just because I didn’t get the summer reps, just because I wasn’t in the best situation to be prepared to go out and execute from a summer standpoint, that’s life,” he said. “Not everyone is in the best situation. But it’s no excuse. I have to go out and perform. There is no choice. There is no doubt.
Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) talks with head coach Kevin Stefanski in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)
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“Nobody cares if this was a week of preparation. Who cares? So a lot of people want to see me fail; that’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 drafted in the fifth round in the spring.
He promised to fix some of the smaller errors as time goes on.
“It’s just 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 earn his 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 went 5-11 that year and moved to Baltimore to become the Ravens in 1996.
