Shedeur Sanders spent months hinting that he wanted to land in Las Vegas before the NFL Draft — from posting a video while driving past Allegiant Stadium to chatting courtside with Raiders and Aces owner Mark Davis at a WNBA game.

Now he finally gets his shot at Allegiant… just not with the Raiders

The rookie quarterback will make his long-awaited first NFL start as the Browns’ QB when Cleveland visits Las Vegas in a matchup of two 2-8 teams that normally wouldn’t attract much attention. But attention is something Sanders has never shied away from. Like his father, Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, Shedeur embraces the spotlight. His bio on X simply reads: “LEGENDARY.” And what better place to try to live up to that word than a city built on bright lights and big stages?

Pilar Sanders uses the opposite tactic from Deion to show Shedeur Sanders he is not alone

“I know our fans have a lot of expectations and hope, and I’d be doing a disservice to myself and the organization if I didn’t feel like I’m the guy,” Sanders said. “I like pressure. I’m doing everything I need to be the best version of myself. With the circumstances, everything has to be sped up — and that’s great.”

Sanders played the last two seasons for his dad at Colorado, and two before that at Jackson State. He was the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year in 2024 after throwing for 4,134 yards, 37 TDs and 10 INTs. Despite first-round projections, he slid to the fifth round in April, while Cleveland also drafted Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel in the third.

Cleveland entered training camp with four quarterbacks, eventually trading Joe Flacco to Cincinnati and Kenny Pickett to Las Vegas. Gabriel became the starter in early October, going 1-5 before a concussion opened the door for Sanders’ debut.

It wasn’t pretty: 4 of 16 for 47 yards, one INT, and two sacks.

But this week, Sanders finally gets all the first-team reps — and a real week of preparation.

“With a full week of prep and a full week of him being in our minds as coaches, you hope it all comes together on Sunday,” Browns OC Tommy Rees said. “We want him comfortable and confident.”

View from Vegas

The Raiders don’t have much NFL film on Sanders, making their preparation a guessing game. They’re studying his Colorado tape, where he routinely extended plays by scrambling.

But that strategy backfired last week when he retreated from pressure and took sacks totaling 27 lost yards.

“All young quarterbacks think that’s the move,” Raiders DC Patrick Graham said. “He can do that, but the monsters are back there.”

Myles Garrett is on a tear

Browns All-Pro pass rusher Myles Garrett has 10 of his league-leading 15 sacks in the past three games. With two more on Sunday, he would join Reggie White and Mark Gastineau as the only players since sacks became official in 1982 to record 17 or more in the first 11 games of a season.

“He’s putting up Madden numbers,” cornerback Denzel Ward said. “You can’t say enough about Myles… we just need some wins.”

Raiders stay aggressive

Despite Monday’s 33-16 loss to the Cowboys, Raiders coach Pete Carroll and OC Chip Kelly continue to defend their ultra-aggressive approach. Las Vegas crossed midfield on five of its six first-half drives but came away with just nine points. They called 32 passes and only 3 runs before halftime.

“I thought the play-action game moved the ball up and down the field,” Kelly said.