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If the first week of the NFL preseason proved anything, it's that Shedeur Sanders might be the most intriguing player in the league right now. The rookie quarterback made his NFL debut on Friday in a start against the Carolina Panthers and the game ended up pulling in a huge TV number. 

According to Nielsen, a total of 2.237 million viewers watched part of the game, which featured Sanders throwing for 138 yards and two touchdowns in a 30-10 win.  

With more than 2.2 million fans tuned in, the game was one of the few in the history of the NFL Network to draw more than 2.2 million viewers. According to NFL Media, the Browns game and Minnesota's Saturday in over Houston rank as NFL Network's two most-watched preseason games since 2015. 

Although millions of NFL fans were tuned in to watch Sanders, the Browns didn't quite top the all-time record for most viewers watching a preseason game on NFL Network. In a twist, the most watched preseason game ever on the network also involved a Browns rookie quarterback making his NFL debut. 

Here's a look at the top two most-watched preseason games ever on NFL Network:

1. Browns at Lions, Aug. 9, 2014 (2.82 million viewers). Johnny Manziel made his NFL debut in this game and he ended up finishing 7 of 11 for 63 yards in a 13-12 loss. He also rushed for 27 yards, and based on this game alone, it looked like he might have a bright NFL future, which is why you probably don't want to draw too many conclusions after one preseason game. 

2. Packers at Patriots, Aug. 13, 2015 (2.52 million viewers). This game featured Tom Brady vs. Aaron Rodgers and they both ACTUALLY played. Also, there was a lot of interest in Brady, who had just been given his Deflategate punishment in May 2015. Brady finished just 1 of 4 for 10 yards in New England's 22-11 loss to Green Bay. 

Remember, the top viewership numbers above only reflect preseason games on that were shown live on NFL Network. When games are played on broadcast television, they generally draw much bigger numbers. For instance, the Hall of Fame game between the Lions and Chargers on July 31 drew 6.9 million viewers.

The fact that the Browns were able to draw such a huge number on NFL Network for a Friday game is impressive (The Browns' game in 2014 was played on Saturday while the Patriots-Packers game was played on Thursday and those two days generally see higher viewership numbers than a Friday). 

Sanders ended up playing nearly three full quarters in Cleveland's 30-10 win over Carolina. One of his best throws of the night came on a 7-yard touchdown pass to Kaden Davis that saw Sanders throw a laser in-between several defenders. 

Sanders has only played one game and he's already proven that he's a draw. Besides the preseason game, the 2025 NFL Draft also saw a huge bump in TV ratings after Sanders fell all the way to the fifth round after being projected to go in the first round. Overall, it ended up being the second-most watched draft in NFL history. 

It will be interesting to see what kind of TV number the Browns draw this week and that's because Sanders likely won't be playing due to an oblique injury. The game against the Eagles, which will be televised on NFL Network, is set to kick off at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday. 

Even though Sanders likely won't be playing this week, fans could get one more chance to watch him next week. The Browns' final game of the preseason, which will come on Aug. 23 against the Rams, will once again be televised by NFL Network.