'We got to make his life miserable': Crosby talks Sanders' debut

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

'We got to make his life miserable': Maxx Crosby discusses Shedeur Sanders' debut

By Clark Dalton | Last updated Nov 19, 2025 9:47 PM ET

Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby clearly wants Shedeur Sanders to enjoy a successful career. Still, he's not going to take it easy on the Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback in his starting debut.

On Wednesday, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed Sanders is set to make his first start in Sunday's game against the Raiders in Las Vegas at 4:05 p.m. ET on CBS. Fellow rookie QB Dillon Gabriel is still battling a concussion suffered during a 23-16 loss to the Baltimore Ravens in Week 11.

Crosby wants to make Sanders' day forgettable. It's nothing personal. The DE is just doing his job.

Maxx Crosby discusses how he wants to wreck Shedeur Sanders-led Browns

"Regardless, we have a job to get done and we got to make his life miserable," Crosby said Wednesday on his podcast, "The Rush with Maxx Crosby." "And we've got to shut down their offense for us to have a chance.

"I'm going to watch the film, see what everything looks like, and take it one day at a time. But yeah, I got a ton of respect for obviously OG Deion [Sanders' father] and his whole family, they're great people, and it'll be fun. It'll be fun for [Shedeur] if he ends up being the guy."

Maxx Crosby Reacts to Shedeur Sanders Starting Against the Raiders! pic.twitter.com/O8ZxlMh6Ks
— The Rush Podcast (@TheRushWithMaxx) November 19, 2025

Sanders didn't look like a franchise QB when replacing an injured Gabriel in the second half of Cleveland's game against Baltimore. The former Colorado Buffaloes star completed 4-of-16 passes for 47 yards and tossed one interception.

Week 11 was the first time Sanders had played with Cleveland's first-team offense. After working with the starters at practice this week, he's confident he'll play much better in Week 12.

On Wednesday, Sanders told the media he believes he's "the guy" for Cleveland and that he'll let his play on Sunday prove it.

Although the Raiders are 2-8, they could still provide a challenging test for the 23-year-old rookie. After 11 weeks, Crosby is tied for 16th in the league in sacks (six) and tied for eighth in forced fumbles (two). Cleveland, meanwhile, has allowed the second-most pressures (96) in the league, via Pro Football Reference.

Sanders and the Browns (2-8) may surprise in his debut on Sunday. Even if he excels against Vegas, don't be surprised if Crosby sacks the QB at least one time. He's determined to give him his "welcome to the NFL" moment.

Clark Dalton

Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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