The madness of the NFL and the stories it delivers week after week explain why it’s the best league in the world. In Week 12, the best game in terms of competition may be the Colts visiting the Kansas City Chiefs, but the most intriguing matchup will take place at Allegiant Stadium: two teams no longer in the playoff race, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns, but one player will draw attention-Shedeur Sanders.
After Dillon Gabriel entered the concussion protocol, Kevin Stefanski announced that Shedeur Sanders will be the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, making his first career start. There’s no doubt Sanders is one of the most talked-about players in the NFL, and the ratings for Raiders vs. Browns could be huge.
Sanders entered last week’s game against the Baltimore Ravens and struggled, but it later emerged that he had never practiced with the first team. Against the Ravens, Sanders completed just 4 of 16 passes for 47 yards with one interception and ended up losing the game, but now he gets his big opportunity.
Ashton Jeanty has a strong relationship with Shedeur Sanders
Another storyline in this matchup is that last season, when Sanders was still at Colorado in the NCAA and the Raiders held the worst record in the NFL, he was heavily linked to the franchise. Fans wanted the Raiders to draft him, but general manager John Spytek and head coach Pete Carroll decided to go in a different direction.
Weeks before the draft, it was already clear the Raiders would not select Sanders, having chosen to pursue Geno Smith instead-who has so far been a major disappointment, leading the NFL with 13 interceptions. Ultimately, Las Vegas used the sixth overall pick to select running back Ashton Jeanty, a player compared to Saquon Barkley.
Despite this, Jeanty maintains a good relationship with Sanders and is excited about his opportunity on Sunday: “Yeah, I got to know him pretty well. Excited for him, should be a great opportunity for him. But I know my defense is going to come ready to attack him. So, he better be ready.”
The Raiders enter the game as four-point favorites, which is understandable given Sanders’ performance against the Ravens. This is also the first week Sanders will get regular practice reps with the Browns’ first team, something he hasn’t had since preseason. The moment of truth has arrived for Deion Sanders’ son.
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