Shedeur Sanders had high praises for God after he became the first Cleveland Browns quarterback to win his first NFL start since 1995 with a 24-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, which President Donald Trump called "great."
"I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it a lot," Sanders said when asked to summarize his performance during a press conference after he helped the Browns secure their third win of the season.
"Coming up here before you all, … six, seven months ago, I couldn't tell you I'd be here. You know, God [is] the only the only way I'm able to even get through everything," he explained. "Being able to see my family, that was important, and I'm happy they [were] here to be able to witness it. But without God, nothing [is] possible, honestly. And I mean that truly and dearly."
The 23-year-old Sanders, the son of University of Colorado head coach and NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders, completed 11 of 20 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown and an interception.
The win ended a 13-game road losing streak for the Browns. It was the longest active losing streak in the NFL and the second longest in Browns history, ESPN reports.
Sanders has been a lightning rod for debate ever since his selection in the 2025 NFL draft in April. Although some mock drafters believed he could have been a top-five overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, he wasn't selected until the 144th pick in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns.
His draft slide in the draft generated a national debate, but Sanders said he leaned on his faith as he waited for his opportunity to start. It came on Sunday after rookie Browns starting quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was drafted two rounds ahead of Sanders, had to sit out of the game with a concussion.
Sanders said that his father raised him and his siblings to persevere with faith and exposed them to different sides of life to make them more resilient.
"Since I went through everything the past six months, it led me to a whole different understanding. It led me in my own experience with God, with having faith when nobody else can help you in your situation but God," Sanders said. "That's why I'm truly thankful and I'm truly happy. This the first time I never had stress, I did the work. I did everything I can in my power I was able to do."
Sanders' performance on Sunday drew high praise from many public figures, including President Trump.
"Shedeur Sanders was GREAT. Wins first game, career start, as a pro (for Cleveland). Great Genes. I TOLD YOU SO!" President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday.
Sanders' performance on Sunday also appears to have impressed Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski enough to name him as the team's starting quarterback for Week 13 against the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday. Stefanski named Sanders the starting quarterback even though Gabriel was cleared from concussion protocol and declared healthy enough to play.
"Shedeur will start this week. Obviously, the No. 1 job of a quarterback is to win. So excited to get that first win under his belt and then next thing is improvement and that's what young players do," Stefanski said. "Certainly young quarterbacks do. You get one game better. And that's just from working at it. So that will be our focus."
