The Cleveland Browns will face another struggling AFC team in Week 12 when they travel to play the Las Vegas Raiders. It will be a big day for Browns fans, as rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start after replacing injured Dillon Gabriel in a Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Sanders had a miserable performance in relief of Gabriel, completing just four of 16 passes for 47 yards and one interception while also taking two sacks and fumbling once. Regardless, excitement for his starting debut is high, unless you ask analyst Nick Wright, who recently made a big prediction about Sanders.
“If he’s terrible, then more likely than not, this is the only start he gets for any team … this is Shedeur’s moment,” Wright said.
“If he’s terrible, then more likely than not this is the only start he gets for any team… this is Shedeur’s moment.”@getnickwright says this weekend is the biggest moment of Shedeur Sanders’ football career pic.twitter.com/8ZWw3DOllu
— What’s Wright? with Nick Wright (@WhatsWrightShow) November 20, 2025
Browns Faithful Want Optimism, Not Pressure
That’s a harsh take, as Sanders could potentially start for as long as Gabriel remains in concussion protocol. Regardless, it’s a bit unnecessary to put this much pressure on a fifth-round draft pick.
It’s entirely possible this will be Sanders’ only chance as a starter, but plenty of QBs have bided their time on the bench and improved in recent years, so it would be short-sighted to write off Sanders after one bad start that hasn’t even happened yet. He’d likely have to be truly awful to never get another one, and even if he is so bad that he doesn’t see the field again this season, he’ll likely be around for years and could work his way into a backup role somewhere.
Browns fans don’t want to hear this type of negativity. It has been a bad enough season as it is, and they want to keep the vibes high for Sanders.
NEXT: Deion Sanders Gets Candid About Shedeur Sanders' First Start
