Shedeur Sanders authored the signature win of his NFL career in Week 17, as the Cleveland Browns got the better of Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Huntington Bank Field.
Sanders did not have his best game by a long shot, finishing the day 17-of-23 passing for 186 yards, 1 TD and two INTs. He also rushed the football four times for 20 yards, as the Browns defeated the Steelers by a score of 13-6.
But it was what the win represented that makes it such a quality outcome for Sanders, who is now 2-4 as the starter in seven appearances across his rookie campaign. Pittsburgh came into Cleveland on Sunday, December 28 with a record of 9-6 needing a victory to clinch the AFC North Division and eliminate the Baltimore Ravens from postseason contention.
The Browns’ victory means that the Steelers (9-7) and Ravens (8-8) will play in Pittsburgh next week for the division crown and the No. 4 seed in the AFC playoffs. The loser will miss out on the postseason entirely.
Adding to the relevance of the win for Sanders is the history of the Steelers as one of the Browns’ chief rivals, as well as the legendary status of Rodgers as a four-time league MVP and former Super Bowl champion who continues to play at a high level during his age-42 campaign.
The two men met at midfield following the contest in a smiling exchange of mutual respect.
“Shedeur 🤝 Aaron Rodgers,” the Browns captioned a video of the exchange on the official team X account.
While the interaction lasted only a few seconds, it was noticeably longer and included more shared words than the average 50-yard-line handshake.
Aaron Rodgers Potentially Bookends NFL Career With Games Against Deion, Shedeur Sanders
GettyPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers entered the league in 2005 as a member of the Green Bay Packers. That was also the final year in the career of Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders, who is Shedeur Sanders’ father.
In just the second professional appearance of Rodgers’ career, he went 8-of-15 for 65 yards and an interception as part of a 48-3 loss to the Ravens in Week 15 of that season. Deion Sanders played two campaigns for the Ravens at the ages of 37 and 38 in 2004 and 2005, respectively, coming back to the sport after three years of retirement.
Symmetrically ironic, Rodgers squared off with Shedeur Sanders on Sunday in what could be the QB’s second-to-last game as a pro, should Pittsburgh lose to Baltimore in Week 18 and Rodgers decide subsequently to retire — a possibility at which he has hinted over the course of the 2025 campaign, but has yet to confirm.
After competing against Deion Sanders as a rookie, Rodgers spoke about the pending experience of playing against the Shedeur Sanders late last week.
“I’ve followed Shedeur’s career,” Rodgers said Friday. “I was pulling for him. It was tough draft slide. Obviously much longer wait than mine was. But it seems like he’s been patient and worked on his craft, and he’s been playing pretty good the last few weeks.”
Browns’ Win Over Steelers Makes Drafting Top QB in 2026 Less Likely
GettyQuarterback Shedeur Sanders of the Cleveland Browns.
In defeating Rodgers and the Steelers Sunday, Sanders landed a significant blow in his battle against the ghosts of Cleveland quarterbacks future.
The win pushed the Browns to 4-12 and dropped the team to the No. 6 pick in next April’s draft as of the start of the afternoon games on Sunday of Week 17. Repositioning above and below Cleveland remains a possibility with multiple outcomes remaining two weeks ahead of the playoffs, plus a full slate of regular-season contests in Week 18 early next month.
But Sanders’ needs to play well enough to earn a legitimate chance to compete for the QB1 role next year, and the lower the team selects in the first round, the smaller the odds are that the Browns can land one of the top two QBs in the 2026 class — Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza of Indiana and Dante Moore of Oregon (presumably).
Cleveland owns the Jacksonville Jaguars‘ first-round pick as well, though the Jags also won on Sunday and currently hold the rights to the No. 28 selection next year. The Browns could always attempt to pair both of those first-round picks and move up into the top two via a trade, though the 2027 QB class is likely to stack up as one of the best in recent memory.
Sanders is going to have veteran competition for the starting job in Cleveland next season regardless, and may face rookie competition as well, even if that player doesn’t come off the board to the Browns at either the No 1 or 2 pick. That said, Sanders did a decent amount to help himself on Sunday.
Sanders will finish his rookie year with a game against the Bengals in Cincinnati next weekend.
Sanders, Rodgers Share Telling Interaction After Browns Best Steelers