The Cleveland Browns may be officially out of the playoff race, but as they set for a Week 15 matchup against the Chicago Bears, there’s still plenty of excitement in Cleveland, thanks to rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Sunday will mark his fourth career start, coming in freezing Chicago conditions. Ahead of the game, Shedeur received a message from his biggest and most consistent supporter: his dad, Deion Sanders.

“Let’s Go baby! Love u son & so proud of u. God got US!” Deion wrote on Instagram, sharing a photo of Shedeur’s locker, which featured his jersey and cleats.

Deion was in the building last week, watching his son suit up for the Browns against the Tennessee Titans. The Browns walked away with a loss, sure. But Coach Prime got a firsthand look at Shedeur turning in the most complete performance of his young NFL career. The Colorado product went 23-of-42 for 364 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception, as the Browns lost 31-29, thanks to a failed two-point conversion late in the fourth quarter.

Now, let’s just say Shedeur will take any encouragement he can get from his dad. And it’s not hard to see why. While Shedeur has steadily shown growth since earning the starting role, ESPN’s Seth Walder is projecting a rough outing for the fifth-round rookie against the Bears. The reason for this projection? A strong Bears’ defense.

“Sanders will turn the ball over at least three times,” Walder predicted. “The Bears’ defense is forcing turnovers on 19% of opponents’ drives, which is the best in the NFL by a mile, and Sanders has the worst QBR (19.9) among all QBs with at least 100 pass attempts.”

Ever since the Browns handed him the starting role, Shedeur has thrown three interceptions across his 3.5 games. And while cold weather isn’t new territory for him, the concern from Walder is that those turnover numbers could climb against Chicago. Right now, the rookie sits at 769 passing yards and five touchdowns, but he’s walking into a matchup with a Bears defense that leads the league in forcing turnovers.

Does Shedeur get through this one clean, or does it get messy? We’ll find out soon enough. What is clear, though, is that a strong showing from him and the Browns could go a long way in steadying Kevin Stefanski’s job security.

Can Shedeur Sanders save Kevin Stefanski’s job?

Let’s run it back one more time. The season opened with Kevin Stefanski firmly listed among the head coaches on the hot seat. Since then, a few names around the league have already been shown the door, yet Stefanski remains in charge of the Browns. The real question now is for how long. At 3–10, the seat is still very much warm, and there’s no clear timeline either, with Jimmy Haslam yet to make a call.

What is clear, though, is that even with Cleveland officially eliminated from playoff contention, the final four games carry real weight for Stefanski, especially with Shedeur under center. That’s exactly why Jonathan Peterlin of 92.3 The Fan is floating the idea that Shedeur could play a role in saving his head coach’s job.

“I really do wonder how much of this is just tied to idea that, legitimately, Shedeur could just save Stefanski’s job,” Peterlin said.

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All season long, Stefanski has faced criticism not only from internet trolls but also from a few NFL legends and media voices, with claims that he held back Shedeur Sanders to the team’s detriment, supposedly as part of a personal agenda. But after Joe Flacco was traded and Dillon Gabriel struggled and dealt with injury, Shedeur finally got the starting nod.

Since then, the rookie sits at 1–2 heading into Week 15. And if he puts together strong performances over the remaining games, he could end up helping save his head coach’s job, at least, that’s what the outside noise keeps pushing. But at the end of the day, it really comes down to one thing: what Haslam decides. Earlier this year, the owner pointed back to last season and made it clear that “3–14 won’t cut it.”

Now, Cleveland sits at 3–10, with yet another losing season already sealed. Browns fans have made it known they don’t want Stefanski back as head coach next year. So the question lingers: Can Shedeur do enough to change that narrative, or will Haslam stick to his word if this season slides toward another 3–14 finish?