Sports

Chris Unger via Getty Images

Shedeur Sanders looked a lot better with a week of preparation. Facing the Las Vegas Raiders didn't hurt. 

Sanders, getting his first start (and first week of practice reps with the first team) looked far better than he did in his first NFL snaps off the bench last week. He threw for his first touchdown pass and helped the Browns get a 24-10 win over a horrible Raiders team. Sanders was 11 of 20 for 209 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He wasn't great but he was more than good enough to help Cleveland beat the Raiders. It was perfectly reasonable for a fifth-round pick making his first career start. 

It was a notable win in Browns history. Since the Browns came back to the NFL in 1999, quarterbacks making their first career start for Cleveland were 0-17. Sanders broke that ridiculous streak. 

Sanders has gotten more attention as a rookie than perhaps any other fifth-round pick before him. He was famous before he took an NFL snap, thanks to his Hall of Fame father Deion (who was on hand in Las Vegas to take in his son's first start) and his attention-grabbing career at the University of Colorado. 

Now, after Sanders had a solid first NFL start, there's actually something tangible to talk about. 

Shedeur Sanders much better in 2nd game

In Week 11, Sanders had to go in the game when starter Dillon Gabriel was ruled out with a concussion. It was a tough spot to put him in and it showed in his production. Sanders was 4 of 16 in his first NFL action. He was far better than that against the Raiders. 

In the first half he was 7 of 11 for 127 yards. He hit a nice 52-yard pass downfield to fellow rookie Isaiah Bond, setting up a touchdown. Sanders did throw a bad interception in the first half, but he took only one sack and didn't make many other mistakes. 

There was a big difference for Sanders getting a full week of practice repetitions and coming in cold off the bench last week. He looked more confident and in control, and the results were far better. 

Cleveland led 14-3 at halftime. It was as good as the Browns have looked all season. 

The second half wasn't as pretty for the offense, but Cleveland's defense made sure that wasn't a problem. 

Sanders gets 1st NFL TD

The Browns have a tremendous defense, one that is wasted most weeks as the offense struggles. Against the Raiders, the defensive line feasted. 

Myles Garrett set a new franchise record with his 17th sack on the season, beating his own record. Garrett had three sacks, giving him 18 for the season. He needs five sacks in Cleveland's final six games to break the NFL's single-season record. Garrett and the rest of the Browns' front overwhelmed a bad Raiders offensive line. Geno Smith rarely had time to throw. 

The Browns' lead never seemed in danger when the offensive finally hit a big play. Sanders threw a short pass to Dylan Sampson and Sampson did the rest, running past the Raiders defense for a 66-yard score. It was Sanders' first career touchdown pass, and it gave the Browns a 24-3 lead. 

The Browns said that Gabriel would have been the starter on Sunday had he cleared concussion protocol, so presumably Sanders' time as the starter will be short-lived. But he made a pretty good impression in his first start, even if it's unclear when his next start will be.