QB Shedeur Sanders' final home start of the 2025 season will be against one of the Browns' biggest rivals – the Steelers.
Sanders is approaching the Week 17 matchup the same as his previous five starts, even though the game will be his first start against an AFC North opponent.
"You go in each and every game with motivation and with what you feel like you need to do within the scheme and understand how you need to play for you to be able to go out there and have success," Sanders said.
This season, opposing teams have had success passing the ball against the Steelers, and Sanders will aim to continue that trend. Sanders and the Browns' offense will face a Steelers' defense that has allowed 249.3 passing yards per game, the third-highest average in the NFL. Since Sanders made his first regular season start in Week 12, Pittsburgh's passing yard average is the highest Cleveland's opponent has averaged during the respective game week.
Despite giving up yards through the air, Sanders said there are elements of Pittsburgh's defense that stand out.
"I think that they're physical," Sanders said. "I like their physicality. I like how they fly around and get to the ball."
That same physicality is what TE Harold Fannin Jr. said stood out to him when the Browns and Steelers played in Week 6. Fannin had a career game against Pittsburgh, one in which he notched a then-career-high 81 receiving yards and 10 targets while tying his career-high with seven receptions.
Fannin has eclipsed all his Week 6 figures and become a top target for Sanders since Sanders made his regular season debut in the second half against the Ravens in Week 11. Fannin has caught 26 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns from Sanders in six games. He recorded eight receptions and 114 receiving yards in Week 14 against the Titans, both career-highs.
The chemistry between Sanders and Fannin is one that has developed over time through conversations between the two rookies.
"Obviously the practices, but I feel like us just sitting down talking in the locker room," Fannin said on Dec. 1. "Seeing how he wants things and seeing how I see things and trying to just meet in the middle really."
Sanders and Fannin's connection will need to extend beyond the pass game as well against Pittsburgh's defense. While the Steelers have been vulnerable against the pass, they have sacked opposing quarterbacks 43 times. The Steelers sacked Gabriel six times in Week 6 and this time around, Fannin and the offensive line will need to protect Sanders on to give him time to make a play.
While operating out of a clean pocket gives Sanders the best chance of success, he has demonstrated the ability to make plays amid pressure. In Week 14 against the Titans, Tennessee sent a blitz and forced Sanders to make a quick decision. He threw the ball to the back corner of the end zone, allowing Fannin to high point the ball and make the catch for a touchdown. Sanders also navigated the Bills rushers collapsing on him in Week 16. He found a slim hole and sped through to pick up the first down, withstanding contact as well for a 13-yard pick up.
"(Elusiveness is) part of his game," head coach Kevin Stefanski said on Dec. 21. "That's one of the things that you saw on tape when he was in college is his ability to make plays that were off schedule."
Sanders will look to be productive in his first AFC North start against a Steelers' defense that allows opportunities through the air while also generates pressure. With his familiarity in the offense continuing to grow and his chemistry with Fannin a key part of the Browns' passing game, Cleveland will rely on Sanders to operate efficiently.
"I think (the points of emphasis are) going to be building off of all the things that we're doing right now and the really good things that we're doing," Stefanski said. "Then it's going to be a matter of understanding this defense, this Pittsburgh defense, which is different than the team we played before."
