I was hopeful to see QB Shedeur Sanders heading into this game, but it was very ugly for most of the game. Then, down 9-6 with a few minutes to go, he found WR KC Concepcion for a long touchdown pass to put Cleveland on top 13-9. The offense couldn’t quite close the game out after that, and then the defense allowed their first touchdown of the day with a minute to go, being down 16-13. An incredible connection to WR Jerry Jeudy set up a 51-yard field goal by K Andre Szmyt to send the game to overtime,
and he drilled it to make it 16-16.
Unfortunately, the defense gave up a lengthy touchdown drive in overtime. Cleveland responded with a touchdown drive with a minute to go, and then faced the decision: a possible tie, let the Saints have a chance to win with a field goal, or go for the win with a two-point try. They went for the win, and it didn’t work out. Cleveland lost 23-22, and dropped to 5-4 on the season, with Deshaun Watson returning next week.
Let’s get to the full game recap.
1st Quarter – Browns vs. Saints
The Browns got the ball first, and it was a quick three-and-out for QB Shedeur Sanders on a drive that included a false start, no runs by RB Quinshon Judkins, and Sanders getting sacked on 3rd-and-long. Then punted to New Orleans, and despite all their run-game struggles, former Browns RB Audric Estime had three straight runs for 32 yards. Then, down by the goal line, after getting the Saints into a 2nd-and-13, DE Chris Williams and DE Jared Verse jumped into the neutral zone on back-to-back snaps to make it 2nd-and-3.
On 2nd-and-3, the handoff to RB Alvin Kamara led to a muff and a loss of 5 yards. On 3rd-and-8, QB Tyler Shough tried to scramble after not finding anyone, but LB Carson Schwesinger darted in and sacked him for a loss of 2 yards to force a field goal. K Charlie Smyth hit from 30 yards out to give the Saints a 3-0 lead.
The Browns began their second drive at their own 27 yard line. This time, they handed it off to Judkins for a pickup of 4 yards. A quick screen to WR KC Concepcion then moved the chains. A few plays later, on 3rd-and-9, a crossing route to WR Denzel Boston only got 7 yards, leading to a punt by the Browns. P Corey Bojorquez got his punt downed at the 7 yard line with about five Browns around it, but of course, the player who touched it (S Daniel Thomas) was flagged for illegal touching (he went out of bounds and was first to touch it), leading to a re-kick.
After the re-kick and a Saints return to the 37 yard line, it was a big difference in field position. After a first down pass to WR Chris Olave, Shough took off for 15 yards a couple plays later to avoid a sack, as individual mistakes were running rampant across the team. That included S Grant Delpit two plays later, as he was flagged for pass interference to put the ball at the Browns’ 29 yard line. Two runs by Estime set up 3rd-and-5. DT Mike Hall came up with the sack up the middle on Shough, pushing the Saints back to the 34 yard line. Smyth’s attempt was now from 52 yards out, and it was pushed to the right and no good.
After the missed field goal, the Browns took over at their own 42 yard line with 8 seconds left in the quarter. Sanders ran a playfake from Shotgun, had plenty of time, but rolled to his left, and then had his pass tipped and incomplete.
2nd Quarter – Browns vs. Saints
A pitch play Judkins got 6 yards to set up 3rd-and-4, and Sanders got RB Dylan Sampson wide open in the flat to pick up a first down and get into Saints territory. Sanders avoided a free rusher on second down to throw the ball away, and then on third down, the Saints were finally called for a penalty via illegal contact to give Cleveland a fresh set of downs.
Two runs by Sampson set up a 3rd-and-3, something looked off as Sanders quickly went up the middle and was stopped for 1 yard — it didn’t look like it should’ve been a quarterback draw, especially since Todd Monken looked animated on the sidelines as he sent the field goal unit out. K Andre Szmyt came on and connected from 41 yards out to tie the game at 3-3.
Shough laid out a beautiful deep ball to WR Barion Brown for 52 yards, beating S Ronnie Hickman.
Two plays later, WR Jaylon Tyson made the first catch of his NFL career, and lunged toward the end zone, but Schwesinger punched it out for a fumble, and CB Tyson Campbell recovered for Cleveland kept it at the 1-yard line.
To avoid a safety, Sanders did a quarterback sneak to gain 4 yards. Judkins got the next handoff for 5 yards, setting up 3rd-and-1. Another handoff to Judkins got the first down. A few plays later, on 3rd-and-6, Sanders tried to escape the pocket, but was chased down from behind after a 1 yard gain, forcing another punt.
On the punt, Brown tried to reverse field to get more yards, but he ended up going backwards, and then DT Adin Huntington tackled him and forced a fumble, and S Donovan McMillian recovered at the Saints’ 19 yard line.
Sampson carried for 1 yard, and on 2nd-and-9, the Saints jumped offsides to make it 2nd-and-4. The end around went to Concepcion, and he was able to squeeze three yards out with limited space to make it 3rd-and-1. Sanders handed to Judkins, and this time there was no miscommunication, as he got the yard to set up 1st-and-goal at the 9 yard line heading into the two-minute warning.
Sanders ran a playaction fake, but the edge defender wasn’t fooled by the threat of a run, and got an easy sack on Sanders for a loss of 6 yards. On 2nd-and-goal from the 15 yard line, they handed to Judkins, and he found an opening for 11 yards to make it 3rd-and-goal at the 4 yard line. Sanders ran a quicker playaction fake, then took off up the middle for 3 yards to make it 4th-and-goal. Monken opted to go for it, and Sanders bumped into his lineman before handing it off, then gave to Judkins, and he was stopped a half yard short with 1:38 to go, keeping it a tie game at 3-3.
Now the Browns’ defense needed to seek out a safety opportunity. Shough tried to sneak it on first down, but got no gain, as Cleveland took their first timeout. On second down, Shough hit Olave on the outside for 7 yards, making it 3rd-and-3. Shough lofted it for Olave up the right side, and he made the catch with CB Myles Harden draped all over him for a gain of 35 yards.
The defense came up with a stop after that, but only 27 seconds left. The Saints punted to Concepcion, and it was fair caught at the 9 yard line. Cleveland kneeled it out from there to send it to halftime.
3rd Quarter – Browns vs. Saints
New Orleans got the ball to start the second half and began at the 36 yard line. Two runs to Estimate made it 3rd-and-5, and Shough tried to hit Olave again, but Harden tipped the pass away to force a punt. The punt went out of bounds at the 22 yard line, where Sanders would get his first crack at second half redemption.
After two run plays by Judkins, it was 3rd-and-6. Sanders scrambled to his left and ran for 11 yards and a first down. On the next play, Sanders finally aired one out deep for Boston. Even though it was underthrown, Boston high-pointed the ball and got yards after the catch for 60 yards, down to the 3 yard line.
Unfortunately, things went backwards from there. Judkins was stuffed for a loss of 2 yards, then Sanders was drilled for a sack that lost 7 yards. After a third down incompletion, Szmyt came on and was good from 30 yards out to give the Browns their first lead of the day at 6-3 with 9:01 left in the thrid quarter.
Brown got another return out to the 37 yard line to begin New Orleans’ next drive. A misdirection playfake led to a first down pass to TE Noah Fant near midfield. A couple plays later, Estime found a little burst for 8 yards to get into field goal range. Shough then found an opening for the second time of the day, scrambling for 11 yards and another first down. LB Quincy Williams made a good tackle on Olave to set up 3rd-and-7. Shough got away from DE Derek Barnett and ran for another first down.
The defense held tough once again in the red zone, as Shough tried to bail outside the pocket again, but was stopped by Schwesinger for a short sack. Smyth hit a 27 yard field goal to tie the game at 6-6 with 2:26 left in the third quarter.
Cleveland tried coming out with a misdirection screen pass, but it was knocked down by a defensive lineman. A couple plays later, Sanders was sacked on third down, leading to a punt. Rinse and repeat, the Saints would begin another drive at the 37 yard line after the return by Brown. The defense got the stop again, as Harden came on a blitz untouched to sack Shough for a loss of 10 yards on the final play of the quarter.
4th Quarter – Browns vs. Saints
Concepcion fair caught the ball at the 23 yard line to begin the fourth quarter, and then Judkins started with a 2-yard run. On second down, Sanders hit Sampson on a swing pass for a gain of 10 yards and a first down. A 5-yard run by Sampson, and then a quick comeback to Concepcion, got the ball to midfield.
A couple plays later, Sanders’ swing pass to Sanders was tipped and incomplete, making it 3rd-and-7. Sanders scrambled to the sideline and out of bounds, leading to a punt attempt. On the punt, the Saints were offsides, and Monken sent the offense back out for a 4th-and-2 at the Saints’ 42 yard line. Sanders had no idea where to go, rolled to his left, and then threw the ball out of bounds for a turnover on downs with 10:32 left in the game.
The Saints faced a 3rd-and-3 at midfield, and Shough hit Tyson on the quick out for a first down. On another third down, Tyson caught a pass short of the first down, setting up 4th-and-1 at the Browns’ 37 yard line. The Saints went for it and were stopped, but Campbell was flagged for illegal contact, giving New Orleans a first down.
Harden blitzed again on second down and sacked Shough for a loss of 6 yards, making it 3rd-and-16 at the 38 yard line. Shough avoided a sack on third down and was able to get back into field goal range. Smyth came on from 48 yards out, and the kick was good to put the Saints back on top 9-6 with 5:38 left in the game.
Bond’s return was taken out to the 36 yard line. Then, the deep ball came back again — Concepcion beat former Browns CB Martin Emerson, caught it, and then went across the entire field for a 64-yard touchdown pass to put the Browns up 13-9 with 5:21 to go.
With the Saints stunned, could the Browns’ defense continue to keep them off the board to close out the game? A run by Shough set up a 3rd-and-3, and he couldn’t find his receiver on the sideline in time, leading to an incomplete pass. The Saints had a decision to make, and they opted to bring the punt unit out with 4:23 to go. Concepcion made the fair catch at the 16 yard line, with the offense now trying to close out the game.
They gave it to Judkins to start the drive for a gain of 4 yards. On second down, Judkins got 2 more yards to set up 3rd-and-4. Sanders took the snap, and took off up the middle for 5 yards and a first down, as the Saints burned their first timeout.
The drive went backwards after that, with a holding penalty on LG Zion Johnson, and Sanders being sacked for a loss of 8 yards. They ran the ball twice to head to the two-minute warning with a punt formation at their own 16 yard line, and the Saints having no timeout remaining.
Brown returned the Saints’ punt to the 45 yard line, needing 55 yards for a touchdown to win. They began with a swing pass to Estime for 6 yards, as he got out of bounds to stop the clock. Shough then tried to hit Olave deep, but Campbell had good coverage and it was incomplete. On third down, Shough found Tyson over the middle for a first down. On the next play, Shough got a perfect pass to Olave this time for a perfect 33-yard completion to the 10-yard line with 1:08 to go.
Shough then hit Kamara over the middle for 8 yards to the 2 yard line, as the Browns now took their first timeout with 1:00 remaining. Shough gave it to Estime, and he took it in for the touchdown to put the Saints back up 16-13, and now the pressure back on Cleveland to need a field goal with 58 seconds left and two timeouts. Bond stumbled on the return, going down at the 25 yard line.
On first down, Concepcion booted a wide open sideline pass that would’ve gone for about 15 yards. On second down, Sanders hit Boston short for 4 yards, and Cleveland burned their second timeout with 41 seconds left. On third down, Sanders rolled right, was drilled by DE Chase Young, and somehow hit WR Jerry Jeudy for 30 yards to the Saints’ 40 yard line, as Cleveland took their final timeout with 30 seconds to go.
Sanders threw an incomplete pass, now with 0:26 left. On second down, Sanders hit Jeudy for 8 yards, and then they clocked it to bring on Szmyt from 51 yards. He drilled it right down the middle to tie the game at 16-16 with 8 seconds to go.
The Saints took a knee after the touchback to send the game to overtime — Cleveland’s first overtime game in four years.
Overtime – Browns vs. Saints
The Saints got the ball first in overtime, starting at the 26 yard line. Kamara had a 9 yard run to set up 3rd-and-1, and then moved the chains after that with another run. A 7-yard pass to Olave was followed by a 15-yard run by Kamara to the Browns’ 39 yard line. Shough took a first down deep shot to Olave, but CB Denzel Ward had tight coverage on the incompletion. Then, a quick hitter pass over the middle got 9 yards to make it 3rd-and-1. Estime got the quick handoff after that for another 9 yards to the Browns’ 21 yard line.
As Shough tried to escape from DT Mason Graham, a hold was called on the Saints, pushing them back to a 1st-and-20 at the 31 yard line. Shough got most of that back with an 8-yard scramble to set up 2nd-and-12. Another quick pass set up 3rd-and-4 at the 15 yard line. Shough found TE Juwan Johnson on the flag to the corner, and the extra point made it 23-16.
Now came the hypotheticals for Cleveland, with 4:17 remaining: you need a touchdown, but if you get it, do you go for two and the win, or the tie? But first, they needed another touchdown drive. Cleveland began at the 33 yard line, and it began with a false start on Jeudy. A checkdown to Sampson only got 1 yard. On 2nd-and-14, Sanders checked it to Boston quickly, and he gained 15 yards for a first down.
A short completion to WR Tylan Wallace set up 3rd-and-4 heading into the two-minute warning at the 50 yard line. Boston moved the chains with a crossing route. Two plays later, they faced 3rd-and-7 at the Saints’ 39 yard line with 1:11 to go. Sanders found Fannin, who broke two tackles with stiff arms and went 39 yards for a touchdown!
With a minute to go, and not wanting the Saints to possibly get a field goal, Cleveland went for two to try to get the win. Unfortunately, as soon as a quick decision wasn’t made, fans knew it wasn’t looking good. Sanders rolled right, but RT Tytus Howard was flagged for holding and Boston couldn’t secure the eventual pass in the corner, ending the game with a loss.
Quick Hitters
- QB Shedeur Sanders: 19-of-31 for 297 yards, 1 TD. 10 carries, 28 yards.
- RB Quinshon Judkins: 15 carries, 43 yards.
- WR KC Concepcion: 4 catches, 85 yards, 1 TD.
- WR Denzel Boston: 6 catches, 98 yards.
- TE Harold Fannin: 2 catches, 42 yards, 1 TD.
- It was very frustrating in the first half to see the Browns not convert on 4th-and-goal at the 1 yard line, which could’ve made it a 10-3 game. This isn’t just a throwaway game, this is the type of game that could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs, and we dealt with simple operation issues.
- I saw some growth from Sanders last year, and was hoping to see a leap in year two. This game made him look like there’s been no growth, and some regression, for 3 quarters. I can’t use the reps excuse anymore, because this is year two. He let loose more in the fourth quarter out of necessity, and it paid dividends.
Up next, the Browns head home to take on the Houston Texans.
