It wasn't the home starting debut that Shedeur Sanders wanted as the Cleveland Browns fell to the San Francisco 49ers 25-8 on Sunday. Sanders wasn't bad, but he didn't elevate the Cleveland offense the way they needed to have a real chance at beating a good opponent.
Sanders completed 16-of-25 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. He avoided turnovers, but the Browns only managed 253 total yards. The Browns were done in due to going 0-of-4 on fourth down and fumbles by Gage Larvadain and Harold Fannin Jr.
There were flashes again by Sanders. He threw a nice touchdown pass to Fannin that temporarily put the Browns ahead 8-7 after a two-point conversion. But the offense didn't consistently move the ball well enough against a beat-up 49ers defense.
Sanders wasn't the problem, but he was far from the solution, either. After the game, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed that Sanders would start again next Sunday against the Titans, but was mum about the QB plan after that. It's safe to say that it's week-to-week right now for the former Colorado star.
#Browns Stefanski said he wouldn’t get into whether or not Shedeur Sanders will start beyond next week.
— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) November 30, 2025
Shedeur Sanders to start for the Browns next week against the Titans
The one thing Sanders is bringing to the Browns offense that it had been missing is big play ability. In just two starts, Sanders has completed four passes of 30+ yards. Dillon Gabriel completed zero such passes before Sanders took over.
Gabriel is healthy again, but he didn't play well enough to be handed the job back following his recovery from a concussion. He left the door open for Sanders. Now, it's up to Sanders to slam the door shut behind him and not leave an opportunity for Gabriel to take the job back.
Against the Titans, Sanders will get a chance to go head-to-head with No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward. Those two were often compared against one another in the pre-draft process. Many thought Sanders was the No. 2 QB in the draft class behind Ward, though Sanders ultimately saw a shocking fall to the fifth round.
But regardless of draft position, Sanders is getting the opportunity he's long waited for. A strong performance next week against the Titans could secure his place as the starting QB for the remainder of the season.