Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Shedeur Sanders Confident of ‘Being the Guy’ Ahead of Debut NFL Start in Week 12 against The Raiders

The much-anticipated debut start for Shedeur Sanders is finally here!

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

It has been an overwhelming few days for Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Just this past Sunday, Sanders took his very first snaps in the NFL when he took the field for the Browns vs Ravens game as Dillon Gabriel suffered a concussion.

At the same time that Sanders was in on the action on the field in Baltimore, off the field, his home in Cleveland was burglarized. Sanders lost around $200,000 worth of items, but that has not fazed him ahead of what will be his first career start in the NFL.

Shedeur Sanders Named Starter for Week 12 against the Raiders

With Gabriel still under concussion protocol, the stage is set for Shedeur Sanders to show the NFL world what he is capable of. Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Wednesday the decision to start Sanders in the Week 12 game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

#Browns coach Kevin Stefanski announces that QB Shedeur Sanders will make his first NFL start on Sunday, with a full week of reps with the 1s coming.

QB Dillon Gabriel, who has been starting, remains in the NFL's concussion protocol and won't practice today. pic.twitter.com/QmJNdOZM1Q
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 19, 2025

The fifth-round pick from this year’s draft class will be looking for a much-improved outing this coming Sunday. In his first-ever game last week, Sanders completed just 4 of his 16 passes for 47 yards. He also threw one interception.

Following the game, there was plenty of criticism from NFL analysts citing the lack of first-team reps the Browns had given to their backup signal-caller. That, however, won’t be an issue for the upcoming game as the 23-year-old will finally have a complete week to practice with the first team.

Sanders Oozes Confidence Ahead of Debut Start

Ever since the Browns drafted Sanders in the offseason, Stefanski has faced plenty of criticism for their treatment of Sanders. The lack of first-team reps as well as other opportunities has many questioning why the Browns even drafted him in the first place.

That said, this is Sanders’ time to grab the opportunity with both hands. A decent showing in the upcoming game could go a long way in the near future.

“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope,” Sanders told the media after being named the starter. “I would be doing a disservice to myself and disservice to the organization if I didn’t feel like I am the guy. I did everything I need to. I’m doing everything I need to to prepare to be the best version of myself as possible. But you know, you’ll just have to be able to see. The game got to speak.”

Shedeur Sanders during his 1st practice as the Browns starter 👀👀👀 pic.twitter.com/719BzNkSiN
— ESPN Cleveland (@ESPNCleveland) November 19, 2025

Irrespective of the confidence Sanders is exuberating, there will no doubt be tons of pressure on his young shoulders. A debut start in the NFL comes only once, and the Browns are already a team lacking offensive explosion. However, this is his time to shine, and only time will tell how he fares.

Mandatory Credit: Imagn Images

Cleveland Browns

Dillon Gabriel

Las vegas Raiders

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Shedeur Sanders

Devavrat Kulkarni

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I am a content writer for the NFL team, and joined The Playoffs after working with Sportskeeda and NFL Analysis as an NFL writer. After starting my professional career as a French-to-English translator, working as a content writer is a new adventure for me. I started out in the sports media field for two main reasons: my love for sports in general, especially the NFL, NBA, and Tennis, as well as my passion for writing. The best part of this job is that I get to write a variety of pieces with the freedom to explore content from various angles. It also enables me to stay up to date with the sporting world, which otherwise can be difficult to do in the day-to-day grind. In a world full of chaos, sports unite and entertain like nothing else!