Former CU Buffs star Shedeur Sanders struggles in NFL debut

Shedeur Sanders’ time in the NFL has been complicated. Once projected to be a top-10 pick, the former Colorado Buffaloes superstar slid to the fifth round in the draft before he was selected by the Cleveland Browns. He then shined in his preseason debut, but got injured and struggled mightily in his second opportunity. He’s been stuck on the bench all season long in a QB battle with Dillon Gabriel, but finally got an opportunity to make his regular season debut on Sunday.

After Gabriel was put in concussion protocol, the Cleveland crowd got louder than it had all season long as arguably the most interesting rookie took the field for the first time in a moment that so many people had been waiting for.

Shedeur SZN pic.twitter.com/DPqGunlxa3

— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025

It was a struggle. After completing his first two passes, the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year completed just two of his next 14 attempts. He threw an interception, and had another miss that should’ve been picked off but was dropped.

Shedeur Sanders is picked off by Nate Wiggins!

BALvsCLE on CBS/Paramount+https://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/FPx0N4hLB9

— NFL (@NFL) November 16, 2025

Kyle Hamilton drops the pick and gets flagged for delay of game by kicking the ball away.

Inexcusable. pic.twitter.com/rA6UYWOE4Q

— Mr Matthew CFB (@MrMatthew_CFB) November 16, 2025

Sanders did make one solid throw in crunch time, a 25-yard strike over the middle to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. on a play that gave a glimpse of what he could become in the league.

Sanders finds Fannin

Browns on the move pic.twitter.com/L1u1qLXQDE

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) November 17, 2025

The Browns ended up losing 23-16 after Sanders got them down to the 25-yard line and threw three straight incompletions to end the game.

Sanders looked like a fifth-round pick with a lot of raw potential who hadn’t gotten any meaningful reps with the guys he was playing around. He was thrown into the fire against a Baltimore defense that boasts quite a few talented players, and wasn’t able to adjust in time. He finished the day with 47 yards and a pick on 4-for-16 passing and 16 rushing yards.

He had the worst EPA per play (0.672) among quarterbacks that played at least 20 snaps this week, the worst success rate (28.6%) and the worst completion percentage over expected (-34.8%). The bottom line was that things weren’t pretty for the former CU Buffs signal caller.

If Gabriel clears concussion protocol ahead of next week’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders, Sanders will head back to the bench. If not, he’ll get a full week to work with the starters and prepare to take on one of the worst teams in the league, which could lead to a better performance from him.

There are many people rooting for Sanders to do well in the NFL, while there are just as many people — if not more — who are rooting for him to fail. This might’ve been his only shot to prove he could be the Browns’ franchise quarterback, but only time will tell if that’s the case.

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