Shedeur Sanders finally made his regular-season debut last week in a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, as he stepped in for a concussed Dillon Gabriel in the second half and completed just four of his 16 passes for 47 yards and a pick. Sanders also took two brutal sacks and fumbled once as he failed to lead the Browns to any points en route to squandering a six-point halftime lead in the 23-16 loss.
With Gabriel still working his way back from the concussion, Sanders will make his first career start on Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders in an effort to end the team’s three-game skid. There’s a lot of pressure on him to show out on Sunday, with much of the pressure coming from the media that has been pounding the table to see him play for months.
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said on Friday’s episode of First Take that this is a make-or-break start for Sanders. He believes that his entire future hinges on this game, and he isn’t alone in that line of thinking.
“As far as his future in Cleveland, it’s this Sunday. He cannot look like trash,” Smith said.
.@stephenasmith believes this is a make-or-break start for Shedeur Sanders this weekend.
"As far as his future in Cleveland, it's this Sunday. He cannot look like trash." pic.twitter.com/8JziDhktpO
— First Take (@FirstTake) November 21, 2025
One Start Won’t Define Sanders’ Future
Other big members of the media such as Nick Wright echoed a similar sentiment, and it all has simply gone too far. Since draft day, some of the loudest people in the media have been pounding the table for Sanders to get a chance and torching the Browns for not putting him in a position to succeed, so to say that everything now hinges on one start is disingenuous.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski already said that Gabriel will remain the starter no matter what, so it was never the plan for Sanders to see the field this early. He and the coaching staff have clearly been taking it slow with Sanders to prioritize his long-term development, and one game shouldn’t change that outlook.
The Raiders got torched on Monday by the Dallas Cowboys, and with a full week to prepare, it would be great to see Sanders have a standout performance. It would do wonders for his confidence and give this fan base something to get excited about.
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