Shedeur Sanders has chance to break 17-QB Browns nightmare streak that dates to 1995 Eric Zeier

The last 17 quarterbacks who made their first career start as the QB for the Cleveland Browns all lost.

So there are two ways of looking at Sunday's outing for Shedeur Sanders in Las Vegas. Either he has way too much history working against him, or the Browns are due.

Either way, it's a remarkable drought.

Tim Couch started the streak. He made his first career start in 1999 as a member of the Browns, after being the No. 1 overall pick, and lost.

It's been 17 in a row for guys who hadn't started in the NFL before they started for the first time for Cleveland, most recently Dillon Gabriel this year.

The last guy to win his first career start while quarterbacking the Browns was Eric Zeier in 1995, for the portion of the franchise that soon left for Baltimore.

This is the full list:

The guys to lose in this setup since then:

• Tim Couch
• Spergon Wynn
• Luke McCown
• Charlie Frye
• Derek Anderson
• Brady Quinn
• Colt McCoy
• Brandon Weeden
• Thaddeus Lewis
• Johnny Manziel
• Connor Shaw
• Cody Kessler
• DeShone Kizer
• Kevin Hogan
• Baker Mayfield
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson
• Dillon Gabriel

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A few of these games were exciting.

Mayfield, for example, lost 45-42 to the Oakland Raiders in overtime. 

Kessler also went to OT before falling to the Dolphins, and Quinn lost a tight 34-30 clash with the Broncos.

But there was some ugly, too.

Wynn lost 48-0 to the Jaguars. Manziel lost 30-0 to the Bengals. DTR lost 28-3 to the Ravens.

The Browns don't have Gabriel this week because of a concussion, which gives Sanders a chance to be the guy to end the drought.

"I think it's going to be exciting ... I know you can't miss it -- you cannot miss this moment," Sanders told ESPN this week. "... We going out there with a purpose, going out there mentally ready, no distractions, no anything, and I'll be excited."

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