Sanders won the first start, Garrett has three hits as the Browns beat the Raiders

LAS VEGAS — The last time Cleveland Browns rookie Shadow Sanders was inside Allegiant Stadium, he and his Pro Football Hall of Fame father answered similar questions during Big 12 Media Day about whether they felt pressured to perform at a higher level than their peers.

“Has it changed?” Sanders asked when he remembered the day in 2024 when he won his first NFL start on Sunday. “I’m not going to lie, I felt a lot of peace, a lot of comfort and half of it comes from preparing, studying and knowing that I’ve got God on my side.

“So all that, I didn’t have any worries. I didn’t feel nervous or anything before the game.”

With his father, Dion “Coach Prime” Sanders, in attendance, Sanders made some big plays that the Browns lacked in the passing game, completing 11 of 20 attempts for 20 yards with a touchdown and an interception. That was enough for the Browns and their fearsome defense in a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Myles Garrett had three of the Browns’ 10 sacks, a defensive performance that pressured Sanders and helped him snap a 17-game losing streak by quarterbacks in his first start for the beleaguered franchise.

This time last year, Sanders was a Heisman Trophy candidate during his final season playing for his father at Colorado. Drafted as a first-round NFL draft pick, he fell to the fifth round, and spent most of that season near the bottom of the Browns’ depth chart. He had a rough NFL debut the previous weekend in relief of fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, who left the Browns’ loss to Baltimore with a concussion.

“Being a backup and everything, sometimes you have to compromise your personality and change the way you do things, to never step on anyone’s toes,” Sanders said. “The fact that I got an opportunity, and I was able to show the organization, show everybody who I really am, it’s really exciting.”

“I was off balance for a little bit, the last few months of my life, but it was different. But I’m grateful to be back where I am.”

Where Sanders will be next week remains unclear. Coach Kevin Stefanski won’t name a starter for next Sunday’s game against visiting San Francisco, but he was happy Sanders was able to do what he saw on the field.

“All of our quarterbacks do a great job in the game, those are the conversations you’re having all week long,” Stefanski said. “These guys are doing a good job telling us what they’re seeing. I think it’s very important because they have a better angle than we do. So he did a good job. I thought he saw it clearly. With the young players, are there things they can do better? Absolutely.”

Whether he continues as the starter or not, Sanders gave himself and the Browns some hope for the final six weeks of the season.

“A lot of people wanted to see me fail, and that’s not going to happen,” Sanders said. “It’s not going to happen.”