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Sports Pulse
Shedeur Sanders is giving Cleveland Browns fans something to watch. This week, he’ll give them an even closer look.
In Week 12, the Cleveland Browns passer had a respectable starting debut in a 24-10 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Even with Dillon Gabriel clearing concussion protocol, Sanders gets another bite at the starting apple, this time in front of home fans – and against a much tougher opponent in the San Francisco 49ers.
Sanders gave the Browns offense a little bit of a shot in the arm in Cleveland’s win. While a bulk of his passing yardage came on a pair of plays, the rookie passer showcased much of what made him a tantalizing prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Can Sanders keep it rolling in his second start? USA TODAY Sports will provide highlights, updates and more from Sanders’ performance on Sunday vs. the 49ers below. All times are Eastern.
The Browns operated with a run-heavy offense in the first half, giving their runners 20 combined carries while Sanders attempted 11 passes and was sacked once.
Despite this, Sanders has enjoyed an efficient outing thus far, completing 8 of 11 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown. He has had a couple of missed opportunities, including overthrowing Jerry Jeudy for a potential deep gain early in the game and taking a 13-yard sack while his team was in field-goal range, but otherwise, the Colorado product has been steady and accurate.
Sanders’ best throw came on his touchdown toss to Harold Fannin Jr. The fifth-round rookie layered the ball perfectly to the tight end to set up the score, which briefly gave the Browns a lead and helped them stay within striking distance of the 49ers, who have a 10-8 advantage at halftime.
Sanders and the Browns will look to re-take the lead in the second half. They will get the ball first coming out of the locker room.
The Browns ran the ball nine times to open what figures to be their final drive of the first half. After gaining 56 yards on those carries, Kevin Stefanski finally dialed up a passing play for Sanders.
Sanders found Fannin, a fellow rookie, open on the left sidelined after a double move. The Colorado was able to make his best throw of the day, feathering the ball to Fannin before he ran the rest of the way for a score.
The Browns attempted a 2-point conversion following the touchdown pass and Quinshon Judkins was able to power the ball into the end-zone. That gives the Browns an 8-7 lead.
Sanders and the Browns were facing a third-and-15 on the edge of field-goal range when the 49ers managed to pressure the rookie quarterback. Sanders tried to spin away from the pressure, but he ended up falling further back in the pocket and absorbing a 13-yard loss.
The sack pushed the Browns out of field-goal range and forced Corey Bojorquez on to punt on fourth-and-28.
Sanders’ longest completion of the first quarter was an 18-yarder to Isaiah Bond. It wasn’t pretty, as the ball floated to the undrafted rookie after Sanders had his hand hit while releasing the ball. Still, it resulted in a big gain for the Browns.
Sanders was able to get Cleveland’s offense into a rhythm after Christian McCaffrey got into the end-zone to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead. The rookie quarterback was able to complete a 13-yard screen pass to Quinshon Judkins and had a couple more short-distance completions to Gage Lardavain and Jerome Ford to help get the Browns into scoring range.
However, the 10-play Browns drive ended with four consecutive running plays before Judkins was stopped short of the line on a fourth-and-1. That prevented Cleveland from scoring, though Sanders has looked solid early, completing 5 of 7 passes for 44 yards.
The good news? Sanders was able to complete his first two passes of the day to Jeudy and Quinshon Judkins. The bad news? On a third-and-3, Sanders was unable to hit Jeudy streaking open down the middle of the field after getting strong protection from his offensive line.
As a result, Cleveland’s first possession ends with a punt on a drive during which Sanders completed 2 of 3 passes for 12 yards.
Sanders will have to wait to get his first home snaps with the Browns. San Francisco will start the game with the ball.
How to watch Shedeur Sanders today: Browns vs 49ers
The 49ers and Browns Week 13 matchup will air on CBS.
What time do the Browns play today?Start time: 1 p.m. ET | 10 a.m. PT
The 49ers and Browns are one of several games in the early afternoon slot.
Browns vs 49ers live streamLive stream: Fubo | Paramount+ | NFL+
Cord-cutters have a few options to watch Shedeur Sanders play today. Fubo carries CBS, Fox, ABC, ESPN and the NFL Networks, and also offers a free trial.
Paramount+, CBS’ proprietary streaming service, and NFL+ will also carry the game.
Watch NFL action all season with Fubo (free trial)
Shedeur Sanders stats
Through two appearances this season – one in relief and one start – here’s how Sanders has performed:
15/36 passing (41.7% completion rate)256 passing yardsOne touchdownTwo interceptions128 yards per game52.5 passer rating