Well, he’s finally done it. After he was forced to endure the most diabolical slide in the history of the NFL Draft and was only given a week’s worth of first-team reps, Shedeur Sanders finally managed to overcome the odds and record his first win as a starter in the National Football League.
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The former Colorado Buffalo, who was accompanied by Cleveland’s top-ranked defense, was able to give the Browns their third win of the regular season and their first since victory since Week 7 which occurred back in mid October.
Prior to the start of the contest, the Browns were being booked as 3-point underdogs, but Sanders clearly didn’t get the memo. It’s a benchmark win for not just the 2024 Golden Arm winner, but also his supporters in the media, like Skip Bayless and Ryan Clark.
SO HAPPY FOR SHEDEUR SANDERS. SHOW 'EM, YOUNG MAN! YOU JUST THREW A VEGAS PARTY ON TOM BRADY'S TEAM – THE ONE THAT HAD 7 CHANCES TO PICK YOU AND DIDN'T, CLEARLY BECAUSE BRADY ADVISED THEM NOT TO.
— Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) November 24, 2025
Ever since he first began to fall on night one of the 2025 NFL Draft, Bayless has been there to advocate for Sanders. He’s called for the second-generation athlete to receive a chance on numerous occasions, and now that he’s made the most of this one, it’s safe to say that the former Undisputed host will be taking a victory lap across social media for the next several days.
Of course, the same can be said for ESPN’s Ryan Clark. The former Pittsburgh Steeler has been just as vocal about his stance on Sanders as anyone, and in light of the 2024 Golden Arm winner’s success against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 12, he now believes that Sanders should get the nod again in Week 13.
Shedeur Sanders should be named next week’s starter list game by Kevin Stefanski!
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) November 24, 2025
Thanks to a 24-10 scoreboard, Sanders is officially the first quarterback to win his career debut as a Cleveland Brown since 1999. So even though his completion percentage, as well as an early turnover, left a lot to be desired, his performance was still one that we haven’t seen since the turn of the century.
Naturally, this will make things a lot harder for Kevin Stefanski, who will now have to justify his decisions moving forward. Cleveland’s coaching staff had been particularly fond of Dillon Gabriel prior to the concussion that ultimately ruled him out of Week 12, and even though Sanders was able to find success in the desert, that still figures to be the case moving forward.
Nevertheless, the 144th overall draft pick was able to help the Browns find their sixth win since December of 2023, and that’ll likely be more than enough to put some extra pressure on Stefanski and co. whenever Gabriel is finally healthy and prepared to return.
In the meantime, however, let us all rejoice in the fact that, after months and months of setbacks and controversy, Sanders’ time has finally arrived.
