After months of anticipation from fans eager to see Shedeur Sanders take an NFL snap, they finally got their wish in Week 11. The rookie quarterback made his debut in the Cleveland Browns’ 23–16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday at Huntington Bank Field.
Sanders, who came in the second half, didn’t hit the ground running once we took over for starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who left the game due to a concussion. As expected, he looked exactly like a rookie player.
Browns QB Shedeur Sanders Encountered Issues
Sanders finished the game, completing 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with an interception, and added three carries for 16 yards. Nonetheless, he was 2 of 8, or 25%, on throws under five yards, well below the NFL average completion rate of 75.2%Â for those short passes, per PFSN.
Shedeur Sanders was 2-of-8 (25%) on throws less than five yards downfield — the NFL average completion percentage on those passes is 75.2%.
And that’s why @jasonkatz13 says that Sanders falling to the fifth round was no accident. pic.twitter.com/JAwvbRDd3l
— PFSN (@PFSN365) November 17, 2025
The Browns put together a promising drive with Sanders, reaching the Baltimore 25 in the final minutes, but he followed with three straight incompletions. Cleveland turned the ball over on downs, letting the Ravens run out the clock.
While the performance might be of concern, Sanders admitted postgame that he hasn’t had a consistent repetition with the Browns’ starting pass catchers. Despite not being on the same page with his weapons, the Cleveland quarterback didn’t make excuses.
“I think you [saw] it was just rough overall,” Sanders told reporters about his regular-season debut for Cleveland. “It was a rough day overall, but the thing that I was excited about is just being able to get out there. It’s the first time I got hit like since my last game at Colorado. Just having that feeling back is good.
“I feel fulfilled overall when it comes to being out there practicing, going in between the lines, seeing actually what it’s like. I know I’m made for it. I don’t think there was any doubt in my mind that the final drive was going to go down there and score. Things happened, we didn’t, but I was just excited.”
The Browns Will Need to Make a Decision Soon
Gabriel was ruled out in the third quarter with a concussion, and he will now have to clear concussion protocol for the Week 12 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. If Gabriel can’t do that or the Browns want to be cautious, Sanders will get the nod under center.
It will be interesting to see if a week of practice with the first unit results in a better outing for a Cleveland offense whose PFSN’s Offense Impact (OFFi) currently ranks 32nd. And with a Raiders defense that has been inconsistent, the opportunity will undoubtedly be there for Sanders to demonstrate that he’s capable of delivering a more productive performance.