Shedeur Sanders finally got his moment. After starting as the QB4 on the depth chart during training camp, Sanders worked his way up to being active on game days and finally got his chance once Dillon Gabriel left with an injury. Unfortunately, it didn’t go Sanders’ way, as the Browns lost, and he struggled.
Sanders addressed how Browns fans put him in a terrible spot by pitting him and Gabriel against each other for the starting QB role.
Shedeur Sanders Addresses Browns Fans
Sanders came in for Gabriel after he suffered a concussion. Sanders began the second half as the quarterback with a six-point lead. The Browns would not score again as the Ravens took control of the game.
The issue arises for Sanders that with Browns fans continuously cheering for him, it doesn’t help Gabriel’s confidence. If Gabriel is the starter, Sanders wants fans to completely back Gabriel and not worry about him.
“I’m extremely thankful,” said Sanders. “Let me say this: When Dillon’s out there playing, I appreciate the fans (cheering for me), but I’m a good person, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable and confident. It puts everything in a tough spot. It’s not helping the team.”
Very classy from Shedeur Sanders:
“I’m extremely thankful. Let me say this: When Dillon’s out there playing, I appreciate the fans (cheering for me), but I’m a good person, so I don’t really like him not feeling comfortable and confident. It puts everything in a tough spot. It’s… pic.twitter.com/DDLPwUXCYa
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 17, 2025
It is not an ideal situation for Sanders to be in. Of course, he wants to be playing and making his NFL debut, while as a good teammate, he wants Gabriel not to feel the pressure of fans rooting for him to enter the game. Sanders did get the chance to show the fans what he had. It wasn’t much. He completed four of 16 passes for 47 yards and an interception.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from Sanders, as he is usually very efficient with his completion percentage, but not today. A completion percentage of 25% is not going to cut it in the NFL and must be better in the future. The Browns’ offense has struggled all year.
They are the worst offense in PFSN’s Offense Impact score at 53.1, and today showed why they’re at the bottom.
If Gabriel is out for next week, it will be interesting to see how he runs the offense in Week 12 with a full week of preparation as the likely starter. Sanders is going to have to improve if he wants any chance of starting beyond Gabriel’s absence. He is still searching for his first NFL touchdown.