The Cleveland Browns picked up a Week 12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, giving Shedeur Sanders a win in the first start of his NFL career. Browns quarterbacks were previously 0-17 in that scenario, since the team returned in 1999, but Sanders was confident things would be different for him. The rookie quarterback and the Browns delivered with a 24-10 win.
While the Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL, Sanders did have to deal with one of the best defenders in the league: Maxx Crosby. The Raiders edge defender delivered three hard hits on the rookie quarterback during the game, but afterwards, it was all love between the two. Sanders and Crosby met at midfield after the game, and the veteran defender embraced the rookie quarterback in a way that made it clear he’s rooting for his success.
Maxx Crosby shows his support for Shedeur Sanders after Browns win over Raiders
Crosby, despite Las Vegas just picking up it’s ninth win, was all smiles when he seen Sanders after the game. The reason why is that the two are close friends, with a relationship stemming back to when they were teens. Their older brothers, Myles Crosby and Deion Sanders Jr., were teammates and roommates back at SMU in 2014. That’s when Maxx Crosby and Shedeur Sanders first met, and they now have a close relationship that was on display Sunday.
Early in the game, Crosby appeared to intentionally bump Sanders, before the two flashed a smile at each other and exchanged playful shoves. Their bond, however, didn’t slow Crosby down any. The perennial Pro Bowler chased after the Browns rookie like he was any other quarterback. After the game, Crosby expressed that it was fun battling against Sanders, he “loves the kid,” and he’s “happy [Sanders] is getting an opportunity.” This shows that despite all the hate and criticism headed Sanders way, he has a lot of support from his peers.
With Sanders' first opportunity as an NFL starter, he completed 11-of-20 passes for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Additionally, the rookie quarterback was only sacked once for a loss of three yards. The question, now, is will he remain in the starting lineup. After the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski was noncommittal when asked who will start moving forward, but Cleveland will have a hard time defending sending Shedeur Sanders back to the bench.