Shedeur Sanders delivered in his first NFL start as a starter, but now he must prove it wasn't a fluke.

The Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback earned his first victory against the Las Vegas Raiders by flashing the playmaking ability that has draft analysts projecting him as a potential first-round pick. Yet he also exposed significant holes in his command of head coach Kevin Stefanski's offense—an understandable stumble for a quarterback who received his first starter reps only days before taking the field.

Now Sanders gets his second start against the visiting San Francisco 49ers, even as fellow rookie backup Dillon Gabriel cleared concussion protocol. The test intensifies considerably.

Three 60-Yard Bombs Signal Arrival

Sanders engineered the three longest passing plays of Cleveland's season in his debut: completions of 66, 52, and 39 yards. That production didn't escape notice.

"A 60-play game is probably like three days of training camp," offensive lineman Joel Bitonio told reporters. "It happens a lot quicker in season, and the more you work at it, the more comfortable you're going to feel."

Bitonio highlighted the accelerated learning curve Sanders faces. Each game provides the equivalent of multiple training camp days compressed into a single afternoon, forcing rapid development in understanding pocket movement, defensive reads, and cadence communication.

Head coach Stefanski acknowledged the operational inconsistency. "I thought, by and large, the operation was good," he said after the Raiders game. "It's nice having a veteran center when you have rookie quarterbacks playing in there that you can really lean on. Ethan Pocic did a great job as well with Shedeur."

The Problems Linger

Sanders took only one sack against Las Vegas, a marked improvement in decision-making. But Cleveland committed five pre-snap penalties, exposing his continued struggles translating Stefanski's playbook into decisive action at the line.

The Colorado product acknowledges the precarious nature of his position.

"It can be taken at any point in time. So I'm never comfortable. And in the situation I'm in, I always want to exceed expectations, and I always want to grow. Each and every week, I want to put out a better product, be a better version of myself for the team to be out there."

San Francisco Awaits

The 49ers present a formidable obstacle. Despite missing star pass rushers Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams, plus All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner, San Francisco has won three of its last four games and held playoff-contending Carolina to nine points last week.

Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh profiled Sanders as a legitimate threat.

"He's a good young quarterback. He's mobile. He's got a big arm, tremendous confidence. He made a couple of really, really good throws in the game against Vegas, extending plays, getting out of the pocket, delivering the ball where it needed to be delivered. Obviously, he showed good command of the huddle and at the line of scrimmage. You anticipate someone like him who's got that confidence, who has that skill set, he's just going to get better and better every week."

The Swagger Factor

The son of Hall of Famer and Colorado coach Deion Sanders has energized Cleveland's fan base with his confident demeanor and trademark watch-flex celebration. Safety Grant Delpit captured the mood.

"He got that spark, stardom and all that and he's popping it right now. I tell him, 'Keep popping it. Keep doing what he's doing, and we got you on defense. We're going to get you that ball back and keep riding that energy, man, because we need it.'"

Confidence alone won't sustain a starting job. Sanders must execute—cleanly, decisively, and repeatedly. Against San Francisco's pedigree defense, the real measure of his potential arrives this week.