Week 17 of the NFL delivered one of the most surprising results of the slate at the Cleveland Browns’ stadium. Shedeur Sanders rose to the occasion alongside his teammates, leading a win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and giving head coach Kevin Stefanski a sense of calm heading into the 2026 season.
Much was discussed at the start of this campaign regarding who would take charge of the Browns’ first team. Flacco, Pickett, Gabriel, and Sanders all saw action, with the former Buffaloes player ultimately finishing the season as the starter. Despite his impressive final performance, there are still areas to refine.
“Yeah, obviously he wins, you know, gotta win,” the head coach Stefanski told the media. “So that’s great for the young man. Gets to beat Pittsburgh, gets to beat a division rival. So, they’re not going to be easy, not in this division. So proud of him for that.
“There are always things he can clean up. I thought we got a little unlucky on that first interception. We can certainly learn from the second one and he will. But, yeah, he continued to battle.”
Head coach Kevin Stefanski talks to Shedeur Sanders.
Resounding win over the Steelers
In a stunning upset, the Dawg Pound celebrated as the Browns defeated the Steelers 13–6 in Week 17 of the 2025 season. Despite the victory, Shedeur Sanders described the win over Tomlin and Rodgers as “bittersweet,” expressing frustration that the offense only managed to put 13 points on the board and emphasizing that they must do more to support the team’s dominant defense.
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Shedeur Sanders teammate calls out Mike Tomlin, Aaron Rodgers after Steelers’ loss to Browns
Shedeur’s numbers this season
In his rookie season, Shedeur Sanders has recorded 1,289 passing yards, 7 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions with a 20.2 QBR through seven games. While Kevin Stefanski has praised his steady improvement and resilience, the Browns‘ potential for a top-three pick in the 2026 Draft leaves his future as the long-term starter in doubt. It remains to be seen if Stefanski will commit to Sanders for 2026 or if Cleveland will look toward a new signal-caller this spring.
