NFL news: Browns’ Shedeur Sanders to start vs 49ers

Shedeur Sanders will start for the Cleveland Browns in their Week 13 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Monday.

Stefanski was initially noncommittal about giving Sanders another crack as the starter. But after a few hours to think about it, the two-time Coach of the Year made his decision.

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Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) runs with the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders in the second half at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. (Kirby Lee/Imagn Images)

“Obviously, the No. 1 job for a quarterback is to win,” Stefanski told reporters. “So, we were excited to get that first win under his belt, and then the next thing is improvement. That’s what young players do. Certainly, young quarterbacks do. You get one game better and that’s just from working at it. So, that’ll be our focus.”

Sanders had some dazzling moments in the Browns’ 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but only completed about 55% of his passes. He had a 66-yard touchdown pass to Dylan Sampson, which the running back made a great play to break through the defense for the score.

Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders (12) talks to head coach Kevin Stefanski in the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders  at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 23, 2025. (Stephen R. Sylvanie/Imagn Images)

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Stefanski said he thought “by and large” the offense did a good job and touted Sanders’ confidence that he will adjust to the speed of the NFL.

Sanders on Sunday vowed to prove all of his critics wrong.

“Everybody starts different places. Like I said, just because I didn’t get the summer reps just because I wasn’t in the best situation for me to be prepared to go out there and execute from a summer standpoint – that’s how life is,” he said. “Everybody’s not in the best situation. But it’s no excuse. Gotta go out there and perform. There’s no choice. There’s no question.

“Nobody cares if this was one week of prep. Who cares? So, a lot of people want to see me fail – it ain’t gonna happen. It ain’t gonna happen.”

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Cleveland selected Sanders in the fifth round of the draft out of Colorado. He moved up the depth chart since his time in organized team activities through the regular season.

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