Deion Sanders watched Shedeur's first NFL start swing from an accurate deep strike to an interception in a night that saw the Browns face the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium
19:10 ET, 23 Nov 2025Updated 19:21 ET, 23 Nov 2025
Deion Sanders watches the game between the Cleveland Browns and the Las Vegas Raiders
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Deion Sanders witnessed Shedeur's first NFL star live
Deion Sanders took his seat inside Allegiant Stadium in a moment he and several NFL fans had visualized all season long, as his son Shedeur finally made his first NFL start for the Cleveland Browns. But just as Shedeur brought electricity that resulted in highlights, he also created a moment that brought his debut back down to Earth.
The Browns were desperate for a spark after falling into a three-game losing streak and entering the matchup against the Raiders at 2-8, the same record Las Vegas carried into the game. Sanders felt the pressure from the media to perform well to earn the starting job as Dillion Gabriel remains sidelined with an injury.
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As the first quarter was expiring, Shedeur dropped into the shotgun on third and eight from the Raiders’ 46-yard line and launched a deep strike to Isaiah Bond that traveled 52 yards before Bond was brought down at the two-yard line.
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The camera instantly cut to Deion, who stood up surrounded by clusters of outnumbered Browns fans while smiling ear to ear and immersing himself in the atmosphere. The father-and-son duo were shown embracing each other before the game outside the stadium.
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Two plays later, Cleveland extended the drive into a touchdown when Quinshon Judkins took a direct snap and powered in from two yards with 48 seconds left.
The Browns pushed their lead to 14 with the crowd roaring behind the visiting sections, and it briefly looked like Cleveland had found its permanent savior at QB. Then the game snapped back to reality with 11:28 left in the second quarter and Cleveland still ahead by fourteen.
Shedeur tried to hit Jerry Jeudy on a short left concept near midfield, and Raiders defender Charles Snowden read the play, jumped the throw at the Browns' 44-yard line, secured the interception, and returned it all the way to the 26.
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At halftime, Shedeur completed seven of eleven passes for 127 yards with one interception and one sack. Sanders produced a halftime passer rating of 65.3.
His first NFL action came one week prior in a 23-16 loss to the Ravens, where he entered the game in the third quarter after Gabriel suffered a concussion and finished 4-of-16 for 47 yards with one interception.
Shedeur Sanders throws the ball while under pressure from Jamal Adams
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Shedeur Sanders followed up a 52-yard bomb with an interception
Afterward, he said, "I don't think I played well at all." In Colorado, he posted a 74 percent completion rate, the top mark in the FBS, and a 6.5 percent off-target rate that ranked third lowest in the nation. His first-half completion rate against Las Vegas landed at 63.6 percent.
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The Browns turned to Sanders at a complicated moment during the team's battle in the AFC North. The Ravens have ripped off five straight wins after a slow start to sit atop the division.
Cleveland Browns Shedeur Sanders evades pressure from a Baltimore Ravens defender
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Shedeur Sanders was under constant pressure and lost against the Ravens(Image: Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Pittsburgh stands tied at six and five with enough defensive firepower to stay afloat, and Cincinnati remains without Joe Burrow and has dropped to three and eight.