Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders made his first start last week and beat the Las Vegas Raiders to end a streak of 17 straight Browns rookie QBs losing their debuts. Sanders’ ability to push the ball down the field opened up new aspects of this offense, and he showed enough to earn himself at least one more start against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Sanders was 11 of 20 for 209 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the win, and he has already completed passes longer than Dillon Gabriel’s longest completion of the season. His ability to hit even a few deep passes generated more excitement with Browns fans than anything this offense did all season, and one analyst was so excited he made a direct comparison to Joe Burrow.
During an appearance on NFL on CBS, Emory Hunt made the comparison of equating some of Sanders’ traits to Burrow’s.
Mainly, he believes the two share a specific intangible that is hard to measure.
“He and Burrow share the same elite trait. They have that IT factor,” Hunt said.
🔥 Shedeur. Emory & Danny Believe in #12. Wrists Up 💛
Danny : "I am not a hater. I'm a realist"
Emory : "He and Burrow share the same elite trait. They have that IT factor" https://t.co/pcp92SoQPh pic.twitter.com/86q9YXbDE7
— JaKi 🇺🇸 (@JaKiTruth) November 28, 2025
Sanders’ Debut Sparks Hype, But It’s Still Early
It’s fair to be excited following Sanders’ first start, but this is a bit much. Burrow has a Super Bowl trip and the single greatest statistical season by a quarterback in college football history under his belt, while Sanders has made one start.
It’s too early to say Sanders has the “it” factor that Burrow has, but it’s understandable that so many fans and media members are already running victory laps after months of pounding the table for Sanders to get a chance.
We’ll see how much of that “it” factor he can bring with him to a tough battle with the Niners.
NEXT: Kevin Stefanski Reveals 2 Reasons He Named Shedeur Sanders The Starter
