While the defense put up one of the most dominant pass-rushing performances in recent history, all the storylines from the Browns' Week 12 win over the Raiders are focused on Shedeur Sanders. The rookie made his highly anticipated first start on Sunday and led the team to a 24-10 win. Sanders wasn't asked to do too much thanks to his defense, but he didn't look overwhelmed sifting through pressure and even showed his throw on the run ability in the 52-yard completion to Isaiah Bond.
After the game, Kevin Stefanski was noncommittal about the starting quarterback for Week 13, which is par for the course for how he handles these things publicly. This was actually an improvement, considering he previously said Gabriel would be the starter when healthy. Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Stefanski named Sanders the starting quarterback for Week 13, even though Gabriel has cleared concussion protocol.
The #Browns are naming QB Shedeur Sanders as their starting QB this week against the #49ers, sources say.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 24, 2025
After the rookie fifth-rounder impressed with a 209-yard passing day with a TD, he gets another start. pic.twitter.com/1DERCXnR8b
Browns name Shedeur Sanders starting QB for Week 13
Stefanski wouldn't comment on whether this was a permanent change or just for the week, which is normal for how they operate, since there isn't much to gain by naming him the permanent starter now. All offseason, it seemed like the Browns would give both rookie quarterbacks extended time to start games so they could have an idea of what they're working with before the 2026 draft, where they will have two first-rounders. Gabriel has started eight games this year, so they were probably going to move forward with Sanders around now even before Gabriel was injured.
Sanders didn't put up an Earth-shattering performance in his debut, but he looked like he belonged and avoided a lot of the drifting and holding the ball too long that scared scouts during the pre-draft process. The operation has a lot of work to do, to no surprise, as there were a few illegal shift penalties and times when the offense was scrambling to get set. That's expected for a unit with this many rookies and should only get cleaned up as they get more reps together.
Browns fans would love to see Sanders make the most of these last games this year to sway them from grabbing a quarterback in next year's draft. He has a good amount of work to do before that becomes reality, moving next to a tough test at home against a much stronger 49ers team.