The Cleveland Browns have not had many bright spots during the 2025 season. Cleveland is 2-8 heading into Week 12 against Las Vegas. To make matters worse, they will be without starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel on Sunday. Gabriel is in concussion protocol, which opens a path for rookie Shedeur Sanders to get his first start as an NFL quarterback.
Sanders got his first real taste of NFL action in Week 11 when he filled in for Gabriel after his injury. But it did not look pretty.
Sanders went 4-of-16 for 47 passing yards and one interception. He was also sacked twice.
But let's be optimistic. It stands to reason that Sanders will play better with more first-team reps in practice this week.
In fact, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski explained on Wednesday how Cleveland will tailor their offense around Sanders' strengths this week.
“You want to make sure that all the concepts are things that he feels confident in,” Stefanski said. “Obviously having been around him over the months, you get a good sense of the things that fit his eyes, so to speak. So definitely want to lean into those types of things and he's working very hard.”
Now the question becomes will the extra preparation be enough for Sanders to succeed on Sunday?
Below we will explore three bold predictions for Shedeur Sanders' first NFL start against the Raiders in Week 12.
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Shedeur Sanders scores first NFL touchdowns — both passing and rushing
It would be shocking if Sanders did not play better in Week 12 than he did in Week 11.
Personally, I am intrigued to see how well Sanders can perform when the game plan is designed around him. Especially as it compares to what Joe Flacco and Dillon Gabriel have already put on film.
The Brown have averaged 159.4 passing yards per game this season, better only than the Jets. That is partly because Cleveland loves running the ball with Quinshon Judkins (more on that later), but also because they are a bad offense in general.
That is not a great matchup against the Raiders, who have a middling coverage unit. They have only allowed 219.5 passing yards per game this season, and they'll likely do better than that against Sanders.
I'm predicting that Sanders will only score two touchdowns during his debut against the Raiders. Specifically, he will have one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown. Let's also give him more than 159 passing yards.
Even if the Browns don't win the game, it will be a special day for Shedeur.
Browns attempt to establish the run, make play-action passes easy for Shedeur
The Browns really like to run the ball with Quinshon Judkins.
The rookie running back already has 157 carries for 620 rushing yards and five touchdowns this season.
But what does Judkins have to do with Sanders?
Running backs and tight ends are often called a quarterback's best friend. That is because they take pressure off the quarterback by running the football, or creating easy targets for quick passes.
Every NFL team knows that Cleveland's offense runs through Judkins. That means that Sanders and the Browns will face plenty of eight-man boxes as the Raiders try to stop the run.
Las Vegas has a solid run defense unit, averaging only 107.3 rushing yards allowed per game. They could be up to the task of bottling up Judkins for most of the game.
But if the Browns play their cards right, that could work to the benefit of Sanders.
I'm predicting Judkins will have at least 20 rushing attempts in Week 12. However, I'm not confident they will result in any huge chunk plays. But they will get Las Vegas' defense in the habit of thinking run first.
As a result, I can see Sanders completing at least five play-action pass attempts on Sunday. That should help him get into rhythm and keep the offense moving consistently.
I'll also predict that Sanders get sacked no more than twice.
Shedeur makes a few mistakes, but Browns D helps secure a win
Let's remember that Shedeur is still a rookie quarterback.
I believe the Browns will move the ball okay because of a combination of Judkins' runs and well-designed pass plays for Sanders.
However, I can't help but think that Sanders will make at least two big rookie mistakes that result in turnovers.
Fortunately, Cleveland's defense should be up to the task of shutting down Las Vegas' offense and making those turnovers not matter too much.
Putting that all together, I believe a complete team effort will create the perfect storm that results in a Browns victory.
Who had Shedeur Sanders 1-0 as a starter on their bingo card? I certainly don't, but I can see it could happen.
