Shedeur Sanders saw his first live NFL action in Sunday’s Cleveland Browns game. His performance in relief of Dillon Gabriel was underwhelming at best, and his signature celebration was mocked by Baltimore Ravens defenders.
Shedeur Sanders Struggles In Debut Against Ravens Defense
Gabriel, the team’s third round pick in the 2025 Draft, entered Week 11 as the starting quarterback. But after halftime, it was revealed that he was being evaluated for a concussion, and was ruled out of the second half with the Browns leading 16-10. That forced Sanders into action, and the rookie’s debut was met with plenty of fanfare from the Cleveland crowd.
The excitement didn’t last long. Sanders attempted 16 passes in the second half, and completed just four of them. He totaled just 47 yards through the air, and threw an interception in addition to being sacked on two occasions. The Browns went scoreless in the second-half while allowing 13 points from the Ravens, and they wound up losing to drop their record to 2-8.
Ravens hit 'PERFECT TIMING' CELLY after sacking Shedeur Sanders 😳 ⌚️
(Via @Ravens)
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 16, 2025
Some of Baltimore’s defensive players added insult to injury. One of the two sacks of Sanders was made by All-Pro safety Kyle Hamilton, who immediately found the cameras and mocked the rookie quarterback’s “Perfect Timing” celebration that he made famous during his college days.
Shedeur Sanders will likely make the first start of his career next week. With Gabriel in concussion protocol, there is a good chance that he is made unavailable for next Sunday’s matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. That would leave them with Sanders as the only viable option.
Shedeur Sanders proving all the haters wrong by showing he's much worse than they thought.
— Chuck Bass (@ChuckFBass) November 16, 2025
Cleveland doesn’t have much to lose at this point. After the first 11 weeks, they now own one of the five worst records in the NFL, and appear headed for one of the top picks in next year’s draft. Gabriel will likely be inserted as the starter once he is made healthy, but the current situation could be a good opportunity to try to develop Sanders with some live game action.
There will be more known about Gabriel’s status as the upcoming week progresses, but the team will likely be preparing to have Shedeur Sanders under center for the next game.
