Browns name Shedeur Sanders as starting QB against 49ers

While the San Francisco 49ers remain locked in on tonight's matchup against the Carolina Panthers, tomorrow, their attention will quickly shift to the Cleveland Browns.

Cleveland is coming off a 24-10 road victory over the struggling Las Vegas Raiders, a win that marked a historic debut for rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. He became the first Browns quarterback since 1995 to win his first NFL start, stepping in for Dillon Gabriel, who missed the game due to a concussion.

After the game, head coach Kevin Stefanski declined to name his Week 13 starter against the 49ers.

"I'm not going to get into that," Stefanski said. "Obviously proud of him, proud of this offense. There are a ton of things to learn from, but I'm just going to worry about today."

By Monday, however, multiple reports confirmed that the Browns will stick with Sanders as their Week 13 starter, giving the rookie his second consecutive start—this time against the 49ers defense. The decision comes despite Gabriel being cleared from the concussion protocol.

As for whether Sanders would remain the Browns' starter past the 49ers game, Stefanski said, "I'm just going to focus on this week. Not going to get much past this week."

The Browns drafted Gabriel in the third round in April and selected Sanders two rounds later. With Sanders leading Cleveland to its third win of the season, the coaching staff appears ready to ride the momentum into their matchup with San Francisco.

Sanders finished 11-of-20 for 209 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the win over Las Vegas.

"He did a nice job," Stefanski said on Sunday. "I thought he saw it clearly. With young players, are there going to be things that he can do better? Absolutely. But that's what it is when you're playing with young players. There's improvements to be made."