Shedeur Sanders silenced some doubters in Week 14 against the Tennessee Titans, putting forth his best performance as a professional quarterback in the loss. Fans came to his defense on social media after the game, and the rookie quarterback’s father, Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, responded to one fan praising his son.
Deion Sanders Weighs in on Shedeur Sanders’ Career Best Game
The rookie quarterback out of Colorado has been one of, if not the most polarizing players in the NFL since being drafted in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Every time he does something poorly or excels at something, fans on social media are quick to push their narrative about the talented young quarterback.
After Sanders set career highs across the board, praise of the young quarterback flooded social media. One fan addressed the media attention the rookie quarterback has received, stating which aspects were true and which were false.
“God Bless u my brother,” said the two-time Super Bowl champion cornerback in response to this tweet about his son. “God has the final say not man thank God.”
God Bless u my brother! God has the final say not man thank God. https://t.co/TqodkUJHBv
— COACH PRIME (@DeionSanders) December 8, 2025
In the career-best performance, Sanders completed 23 of 42 passes for 364 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. He also rushed three times for 29 yards and a touchdown. The game served as validation for both Deion and Shedeur Sanders, but it’s just one game, and the rookie will look to replicate this performance moving forward.
He now moves to 1-2 on the season as the starter, having completed 52.4% of his passes for 769 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
However, despite setting career highs across the board, Sanders and the Browns fell to the Titans, who entered the game with a 1-11 record, the worst in the NFL. The loss puts Cleveland in a position to potentially pick even higher in the 2026 NFL Draft, which will undoubtedly raise questions about the quarterback position.
Sanders Looking to Establish Himself as the Starter in 2026
After starting the season as the number three quarterback on the depth chart, Sanders was named the starting quarterback for the rest of the 2025 season by head coach Kevin Stefanski on Monday morning. The rookie will now be given the chance to prove his long-term value to the organization before they need to decide on what to do in the draft.
Not only would winning games help improve his stock as the long-term starter, but it would also drop Cleveland in the draft order, decreasing the likelihood that they are in a position to select a blue-chip prospect at the quarterback position.
Despite being selected two rounds after fellow rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Sanders has now jumped him on the depth chart.
Gabriel ranks No. 41 out of 42 qualified quarterbacks in PFSN’s QB Impact metrics (QBi), leading Cleveland to a 1-5 record through six starts. While Gabriel limited turnovers during his stint as the starter, he also rarely took chances and didn’t throw the ball downfield, limiting the upside for Cleveland’s offense.
Sanders has had his ups and downs thus far as the starter for Cleveland, but he has galvanized the fan base and sparked conversation around the team. All eyes will be on the rookie out of Colorado down the stretch, as he looks to build his case to have an opportunity to compete for the starting quarterback job in 2026 and beyond.
