Shedeur Sanders vs. Cam Ward is what everyone wants to see happen, but the Titans should root against it

the draft prophecy might be about to come to fruition.

Easton Freeze — Tennessee Titans Beat Writer
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Who’s ready to party like it’s March 2025? News out of Cleveland Browns HQ on Wednesday reignited a draft-season discussion everybody circled on the calendar back when the NFL schedule came out in the spring: could the two most-discussed quarterbacks from the 2025 class face off in Week 14?

Shedeur Sanders has one shot to face Cam Ward

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski announced on Wednesday that QB Dillon Gabriel remains in concussion protocol, and backup Shedeur Sanders will be their starter in Week 12 against the Raiders.

In Week 11, the most highly-covered third string rookie quarterback in NFL history finally got his shot at live action. Sanders took over for Gabriel after he entered the concussion protocol shortly after halftime, and completed the game as the Browns fell to the Ravens 23-16. Here was the rowdy scene in Cleveland when he came running off the sideline:

Sanders had a shot at the end of the game to make the game-equalizing touchdown pass, but the Ravens held on to get the divisional win. After the dust had settled, Sanders’ box score was… rough. He went 4/16 (25%) for 47 yards and an interception. He also ran 3 times for 16 yards.

Those are just his counting stats, though. When you dig into his advanced metrics… well, they’re just as terrible. Look at how he reshaped this chart of CPOE and EPA per play:

A very big deal was made in the wake of this game of how little Sanders has gotten to practice. In fairness to him, it’s true: backups don’t get meaningful reps after training camp. This week is when he’ll actually get all the first team reps, which is bound to help him be better prepared for his first official start.

The Browns face the Raiders in Week 12, another of the NFL’s bottom dwellers. It’s unclear what Cleveland’s internal desires are for how they finish out this season at QB, but assuming they want Gabriel back as soon as he’s cleared protocol, it’s fair to guess this is Shedeur Sanders’ best and only shot at changing their minds before the Titans game. If he plays well against a gettable opponent, maybe he gets a longer leash. It’s not like the Browns are seriously planning on either of these guys to be their franchise QB in 2026 right now anyways.

I’ve felt since the schedule release in May that somehow, someway, we’d be getting Ward vs. Sanders when the Titans visit Cleveland in Week 14. This appears to be the path to that happening. Fans of NFL drama are certainly rooting for it to happen. Do quarterbacks actually play each other in games? No. But that doesn’t stop us from crafting the narrative every time anyways. And getting the number 1 overall pick versus his friend who was long expected to be a top pick before a historic slide into the fifth round is as juicy as it gets for an otherwise disgusting game.

The Titans, thought? They should be rooting hard against this happening. Their rookie is struggling right now, and it’s in large part due to his poor environment. It’s really difficult to get a finger on the pulse of his progress as things stand. And while nobody would expect Shedeur to out-perform Ward in a matchup, Sanders certainly has the best unit on his side. The Browns’ defense will be the best part of that game by a country mile. They’re ferocious, and the Titans defense doesn’t rise to that level whatsoever. So in the court of public opinion, a Browns win in a game they’re sure to be favored in would look like the fifth round non-starter besting the first overall pick. A media circus ensues.

All Sanders has to do is play well enough to keep the job this weekend, and we may very well see it in a couple of weeks whether the Titans want to or not.

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