This Sunday, the Cleveland Browns (5-3) take on the New Orleans Saints (2-5). Below, we analyze a few advantages, disadvantages, or general thoughts about the two teams before getting to our predictions for the game.
What Happened to the Confidence?
The news that Shedeur Sanders would suddenly be starting this week, due to the concussion reported by Deshaun Watson, definitely caught us off guard. Due to Watson’s 5-3 record as starter, the boo birds toward him have largely stopped, even though he’s not exactly lighting it up week in and week out.
Still, when the news broke, I thought we would see a lot of intrigue from fans regarding Sanders again. Instead, it’s seemed like the opposite. Everyone almost seems resigned to thinking it’ll be a pretty rough game for the second-year quarterback.
I guess I’m a bit caught off guard that the reaction has seemed so tame, or almost like fans are chalking this one up as a loss because of Sanders.
Going back to last year, Sanders did what I would call a respectable job. I thought he showed he can make a lot of good NFL throws, he stopped the bad habit of backpedaling too much, and he did so behind a terrible offensive line. Despite the pace of sacks that this year’s group is giving up, the eye test still tells me that the Browns’ new offensive line is performing way better than last year’s group was. Sanders had some good outings in training camp, and is facing a Saints defense that ranks near the bottom of the league. My expectation is that Sanders will have a solid 2026 debut against New Orleans. This is also a big game, so I’d expect the team to pull out all the stops if necessary.
Assessing the Game
There’s a lot to look at for this week’s game, especially pertaining ti the Browns’ run defense and the Saints’ offense. Let’s get into it with some of our miscellaneous notes this week:
- I was intrigued by the Saints because last year, they won four straight games near the end of last season, and Tyler Shough was turning headlines and looking like the best quarterback of his class. Now, in hindsight, they didn’t face the best competition in those four games, but it was still something to be proud of.
- This year, they lost a nailbiter of an overtime opener to the Lions 31-30 when they went for the win in extra time instead of the tie, and then they beat the Baltimore Ravens (back when they had Lamar Jackson) the following week.
- Since then, it’s been much of the same story: Shough plays well and should be taken seriously, but New Orleans can’t get anything going on the ground, averaging just 3.52 yards per carry. Their numbers and commitment to the ground game has been really bad. I know some of you may be thinking, ‘Welp, get ready for that to change against Cleveland,’ but I’m inclined to expect the opposite: this is a game will New Orleans’ run struggles continue, and the Browns’ run defense feels like they are on top of the world with all the run plays they’ll swallow up.
- The other thing that has been part of the same story is the Saints’ poor run defense and defensive interior. They allow 4.81 yards per carry, which is well worse than even the Titans’ allowed two weeks ago when the Browns found success on the ground. Comparatively speaking, the Steelers’ run defense is ranked among the best in the league
- Overall, those factors make me see the Browns having a variety of ways they can score on offense, as long as they stay away from delays and procedural errors (easier said than done, obviously). And while Shough has been pass-heavy, that approach should play into Cleveland’s favor against a duo of Denzel Ward and Tyson Campbell that is playing very well.
- One big factor to watch is that Saints WR Jordyn Tyson practiced this week for the first time. The first-round pick hasn’t seen regular season action yet, which is crazy. He is listed as questionable, so we’ll see if he is active or inactive.
- Carson Schwesinger was a liability last week, but that’s a rarity, even if he is hurt. Hopefully we see a bounceback game from him this week.
- Jared Verse is driving me a bit crazy. Even if I disregard his stats with the Browns, I don’t like the demeanor he carries in interviews, and I feel like he’s the one that has gotten away with some dumb late hits on quarterbacks this year. I’d be rolling my eyes at some of the stuff he says, and if I’m thinking of it, I bet some teammates are keeping a lid on it too. With all that said, I of course want him to flip the switch and be better for the Browns. Not that I’m comparing him to Myles Garrett, but to a much lesser extent, this would be like Garrett going to the Rams and then suddenly looking like a third-string backup with them and unlike his previous years of productivity.
- According to FanDuel, the Browns are 3 point underdogs against the Saints. The over/under is 43.5.
Quick Hitters
Offensive coordinator Travis Switzer talked about what he’s excited to see from Shedeur Sanders:
“I’m just excited to see him go play and hopefully let it rip, which I think he’ll do. He did it yesterday in practice. Go lead, be in command, which I think he’s grown tremendously in that area, really since we got here. And I think Monk (Todd Monken) mentioned this the other day, but when you’re going through training camp, and we were splitting, and really all the spring, we were splitting a lot of those reps as we were going through all the installs, and we were able to see him in a lot more reps than probably a typical backup would be, because obviously we were finding out who our quarterback was going to be. So, hopefully he can review back to some of those things if it were to be him, and yeah, let it rip. Play with confidence.”
Defensive coordinator Mike Rutenberg had some very generic responses to his questions this week, which was a bit disappointing. Ultimately, I’ll highlight this one, when he was asked about the team’s defensive ends not having many combined sacks this year:
“Our whole defense is built on a collective 11, so it has nothing to do with a position ever. We’re not built that way. When it comes to pressuring the quarterback, it doesn’t matter who the pressure could come from. When it comes to anything we do, it’s a collective 11. It takes all 11 to play great defense, and that will always be our motto together.”
Special teams coordinator Bryon Storer was asked about trying different guys out at kick returner lately:
“So, we’re trying some different returners back there. We’ve kind of mixed and matched a little bit over the last couple, last game, and we need to block better in the setup zone. We need to, set up our blocking better. We need to make sure that we stay with our man longer without holding. There’s a lot that goes into it. We’ve been drilling it and trying to get better, and it’s a matchup-based play as well. You know, it’s very much like, you have to make sure you have the right people in the right spots. And so, we’re just continuing to learn and improve each and every week, and hopefully we’ll see some progress there soon.”
Here are predictions from multiple staff members at DBN:
Predictions
Chris Pokorny: “I wanted to pick the Browns by a slightly larger margin, but because the Browns’ victories this year have all been by 3 or 4 points only, and I could foresee some rust from the quarterback spot, I have this as a lower-scoring affair.” Browns 20, Saints 17
Jared Mueller: “Something is off with the Browns and I can’t put my finger on it, but I don’t feel comfortable with it. Injuries, Shedeur Sanders and Jared Verse media time, and going on the road with a team coming off the bye all smell trouble for my favorite team. The Saints are far from a good team but have a creative offensive mind, an athletic quarterback, and enough talent on the roster to win games.” Saints 28, Browns 24
Barry Shuck: “I am on the fence with this one. If you look at the Browns’ schedule, they beat the Ravens and the Steelers, and all of their other wins are against mediocre teams. The only good team they faced, Jacksonville, took Cleveland to the woodshed. And this is their entire schedule because they are involved in that last-place schedule from 2025. The only crappy teams they don’t play are the Dolphins and Cardinals. The Browns can’t stop the run, and they can’t run the ball themselves. Nawlins is ranked #20 in passing yards and #29 in rushing. Which means they can’t run the ball either. They are top half in pass defense, but can’t stop the run either. Whoever wins, it isn’t going to be a very productive day. By the way, M.J. Emerson is the starting CB for the Saints and is doing pretty well. Hold on, let me flip a coin: it’s Cleveland.” Browns 13, Saints 10
Ezweav: “Hard to believe losing Deshaun Watson would make things seem bleak but here we are. I really like Shedeur Sanders personally (also a big fan of his ‘ol man) but unfortunately his entire professional career to this point can be summed up this way: holds the ball forever, still misses the read.
I know a lot of people have a great deal of hope invested in the kid and I would LOVE for that to be justified but it just hasn’t shown up yet at the NFL level. Look for folks to start murmuring about Dillon Gabriel by about the middle of the second quarter.” Saints 20, Browns 9
Curtiss Brown: “If Deshaun Watson was starting I would feel somewhat comfortable that the Browns could win but since he’s in concussion protocol, I don’t feel as confident.
I don’t think Shedeur Sanders is a bad quarterback. I just don’t have enough confidence in him looking competent enough and keeping the offense on schedule. I could be wrong though and I look foolish.
The Saints have been a disappointment this season. Quarterback Tyler Shough is doing the most despite not having a run game (Saints firing the run game coordinator doesn’t fix it) their offensive line has been abysmal but the receiver room has something in Chris Olave and Jordyn Tyson will probably make his debut on Sunday if he’s healthy.
Defensively, the Saints haven’t been good. Chase Young has been though. Martin Emerson is making the most on his prove it deal. Overall, this team hasn’t been great and the coaching staff has been under a microscope by the owner and it’s only a matter of time if a head coaching move is made.
Overall, the Browns could win this game but they probably wont (they aren’t favored) but it feels all the positivity around the team evaporated after one bad game and now everyone is on edge again.” Saints 24, Browns 20
Who do you think will win, Browns fans? Let us know in the comments section below.
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