The Cleveland Browns entered Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders at 2-8, but team morale was high as it marked the first official start for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Sanders, a fifth-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, was named the starter after fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion in last week’s loss.
On Sunday, Sanders helped lead Cleveland to a 24-10 victory, finishing 11-of-20 for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. With eight minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, he hit running back Dylan Sampson on a short pass that turned into a 66-yard score.
With the win, Sanders joined rare company for multiple reasons. He became the first Browns quarterback since Eric Zeier in 1995 to win his first career start, snapping a 17-game losing streak for Browns QBs making their first start.
He also joined Brian Griese as the only sons of Pro Football Hall of Famers to start an NFL regular-season game at quarterback. Notably, Griese’s first career win also came against the Raiders, according to Andrew Siciliano.
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Sanders spoke to the media after the game and delivered a pointed message to the critics who are rooting for him to fail.
“It’s no excuse. You got to go out there perform,” Sanders said. “No one cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares? So a lot of people want to see me fail and it ain’t gonna happen. You know, it ain’t gonna happen.”
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski refused to answer a reporter’s question about who will start at quarterback next week against the San Francisco 49ers. But after Sanders led the team to a win and sparked the most excitement Cleveland has seen in a long time, it would be tough to send him back to the bench—especially to put Gabriel back in, even if he’s likely healthy enough to return in Week 13.
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