This Shedeur Sanders stat shows how he helps Browns open up playbook 

Cleveland defensive end Myles Garrett clearly approved of the throw, which shouldn't be a surprise. He hasn't seen many exciting offensive plays this season. 

Per NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno, Browns QBs had just one completion of 35-plus yards entering Sunday's game. (Flacco completed a 35-yard pass in a Week 4 loss to the Detroit Lions.) 

Sanders produced two more explosive plays in Sunday's game. The QB connected with wide receiver Jerry Jeudy on a 39-yard pass late in the second quarter, but the WR fumbled the ball and failed to recover it. He also tossed a short pass to rookie running back Dylan Sampson late in the third quarter, which turned into a 66-yard touchdown.

The explosive offensive plays powered the Browns to a 24-10 victory over the Raiders. It's just the second time Cleveland (3-8) has scored 24 points or more this season.  Overall, it was a decent first start for Sanders, who completed 11-of-20 passes for 209 yards and tossed one TD and one interception. 

Now, saying Sanders is the future of the franchise after beating the 2-9 Raiders would be rash. However, it's fair to say that starting him instead of Gabriel could be more beneficial for the Browns. It looks like he has a better arm, which opens up the playbook. 

Before Sunday's game, Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said Gabriel would remain the starter but hinted he could still lose his job to injury. Following Sunday's game, he didn't say whether Sanders would start in Week 13. 

Regardless, Gabriel could face increased competition upon his return, considering Cleveland's offense looked like a different unit in Sanders' first start.