CLEVELAND, Ohio — Shedeur Sanders snapped some long streaks during his starting debut vs. the Raiders, and can make Browns history Sunday against the 49ers at Huntington Bank Field.
If he upsets the 8-4 49ers, he’ll be the first Browns quarterback in the Super Bowl era, beginning in 1967, to win his first two starts.
But it won’t be easy, even if the 49ers are without their top two defenders in premier edge rusher Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner, and even though they’re last in the NFL with only 13 sacks.
“They still do an outstanding job,” Kevin Stefanski said. “They have rushers that can win one-on-ones. They have a good pressure package on third down, and they’re relentless. You have to match their intensity, really, throughout the game.”
Sanders, who went 11 of 20 for 209 yards, with one touchdown and one interception for a 87.5 rating during Sunday’s 24-10 victory over the Raiders, knows that 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh will try to rattle him.
“They’re a well-coached team, honestly,” Sanders said. “They rush the passer very good. They’re great in coverage. They have great disguises overall. They know how to get pressure on the quarterback, so they’re great all around defense. We know they’re going to have something different cooking for us. But even having this opportunity to go out there and study them and be able to go on the field is cool. I’m just thankful for it.”
Saleh, whose defense held Carolina’s Bryce Young (18 of 29, 169 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT) to a 60.8 rating in a 20-9 victory on Monday Night Football, is impressed with what he’s seen from Sanders in his 1 1/2 games so far. In beating the Raiders, Sanders snapped a 13-game road losing streak and an 0-17 streak by Browns QBs since 1999 making their first NFL start.
“He’s a good, young quarterback,” Saleh said Wednesday. “He’s mobile, he’s got a big arm, tremendous confidence. He made a couple of really, really good throws in the game against Vegas, extending plays, getting out of the pocket, delivering the ball where it needed to be delivered.
“Obviously, he showed good command of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. You anticipate someone like him who’s got that confidence, who has that skill set, he’s just going to get better and better every week.”
Sanders (11 of 20, 209 yards, 1 TD 1 INT, 87.5 rating) energized the Browns with the three biggest plays of the season against the Raiders — passes of 52, 39 and 66 yards, with the latter a catch-and-run for a TD by Dylan Sampson.
“His off-schedule stuff is going to be a problem,” Saleh said. “As he gets comfortable in what they’re asking him to do, he’s only going to get better because you can tell how important it is to him and how much work he’s going to put into it. A guy who’s as good and as gifted as he is, both physically and mentally, and with the confidence he has, you just know he’s going to get better.”
Sanders, who’s only been guaranteed the start for this week, is determined to build on his starting debut, just like he did the second half of the loss to the Ravens in relief of a concussed Dillon Gabriel.
“I’m definitely not comfortable though, so that’s first and foremost that I have another opportunity to go out there,” Sanders said. “But in life, you’ve got to understand how quickly things come or how long it comes. It could be taken at any point in time. So I’m never comfortable in a situation I’m in. I always want to exceed expectations and I always want to grow. Each and every week, I want to put a better product of myself, be a better version of myself for the team to be out there.”
What about the spark he’s brought to the team and the city?
“It’s great, honestly, but like I said, I’m not comfortable,” he said. “As quick as things come, it could leave at any point in time. So that’s not really in my focus or my plans. I’m thankful for everybody and whoever supports, but I’m focused on getting this team some wins.”
He felt the love from Browns fans during the Ravens game, but knows it will ramp up during his first start at home.
“I feel like it’ll be very fun,” he said. “You’ve got to understand right now, I’m in grind mode, mentally, understanding how to attack this defense that we’re going against, and they’re a great team. They’ve got great coaches, everything. But that’s where I am mentally right now.”
It’s not often that an NFL player gets a shoutout from the President of the United States, but that’s exactly what happened on Monday, when President Donald Trump posted “I told you so!” about Sanders’ debut on the Truth Social platform. Trump had called out NFL owners during the draft for letting Sanders slip out to Day 3.
“He definitely has been a supporter for a minute, so I’m just thankful for him even taking time out of his day to be able to speak out his support,” Sanders said.
Safety Grant Delpit captured the essence of the lift Sanders brought in Vegas, where the defense fed off him to the tune of 10 sacks.
“That dude, man, Shedeur got a crazy fan base,” Delpit said. “He got the spark, the stardom and all that, and he’s popping it right now, so I just tell him, ‘keep popping it, man, keep doing what he doing. And, you know, we got you on defense, so we’re going to get you that ball back. And, you know, keep riding that energy, man, because we need it.’”
Left guard Joel Bitonio cited the big plays, including the 52-yarder to Isaiah Bond on a scramble drill that led to a Quinshon Judkins’ 2-yard wildcat TD run, and the swing pass to Dylan Sampson that he turned into a 66-yard TD. The 39-yarder to Jerry Jeudy would’ve likely been good for a field goal or TD, but safety Jeremy Chinn punched it out.
“We had three pretty explosive pass plays, which we haven’t had in a few weeks, were huge for us,” Bitonio said. “Obviously one got us way down there, one scored a touchdown, and, you know, one obviously we fumbled, but it was still a big play. You saw the shot play potential, and anytime the offense is kind of struggling, 40-, 50-yard plays are going to help. That was something we’ve been missing.”
So will there be plenty more where those came from?
“That’s part of his game,” Bitonio said. “You saw it in college. He makes plays. He moves around the pocket. The hit he took while he made that (Bond) throw was very impressive. But those are the plays you saw flash in college that were like, ‘all right, this guy has some potential to make those at the next level’ and hopefully we can keep building on it.”
What’s more, there was no drifting backwards for big sacks like he did vs. the Ravens and was known for at Colorado.
“Shedeur did a great job of getting the ball out when he could,” Bitonio said. “There was quick passing game and scrambling to make plays and looking downfield, instead of scrambling to go backwards. All those things were huge improvements this week. And the script of the game, we didn’t have to drop back pass as much as we’ve done in some of the other games. But it was great. He worked on it tremendously, and hopefully we continue to emphasize it and continue to protect it.”
Like Delpit, Bitonio appreciates the turbo-charge that Sanders provides.
“Obviously his dad (Deion Sanders) is one of the best players ever, he’s been in the limelight his whole life and people have been curious since he was in high school what he’s going to do in college, where he went to school, all those things,” Bitonio said. “So it’s an experience that people want to be a part of. His personality, he has a little bit of excitement that comes with it. The plays he made to win a football game, find a win on the road, all those things add up, and we just want to continue to grow around him, help him as much as we can.”
Sanders acknowledged the close ties of the 2025 rookie class, which contributed to the Raiders victory in a big way, including Gage Larvadain’s 44-yard punt return and tight end Harold Fannin Jr.’s tackle-breaking yards-after-catch.
“I feel like it’s a great class,” he said. “We all bond together. We’re all like family. So I’m just thankful that we’re all here together and I know it’s going to be very exciting. You have high expectations for us. We’re here to exceed those.”
If all goes as the Browns hope, Sanders will have a Browns record to celebrate along with a victory.
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