How do you see this one playing out? The New Orleans Saints (2-5) are coming out of their bye week for a home game with the Cleveland Browns (5-3) at the Caesars Superdome, and they could be getting a break. Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders is replacing the starter, Deshaun Watson, who missed practice this week with concussion symptoms. But the Saints can't take anything for granted. They haven't earned that yet. Here are our staff picks with final scores and bold predictions for Week 9's game.
Saints 23, Browns 20
Every game should be a must-win for Kellen Moore's team after they lost five of their first seven matchups. The Saints at least need to show visible growth week over week after falling into a monthslong slump. We don't know yet if Jordyn Tyson or Kelvin
Banks Jr. will be back on the field, but getting either of the team's last two first-round picks would give the offense a big boost. Either way, Cleveland doesn't do anything exceptionally well despite their 5-3 record (to that point: they haven't won a single game by more than four points). They're league-average in rates of allowing touchdown passes and intercepting them, with a comparable sacks rate to New Orleans. Their run defense is almost as porous as the New York Giants unit we watched the Saints bulldoze a few weeks ago. This is a winnable game for the Saints, especially with Shedeur Sanders starting at quarterback. But they aren't a good enough team to feel too great about themselves no matter who the opponent is.
Bold prediction: Charlie Smyth kicks a game-winning field goal as time expires. -- John Sigler
Saints 27, Browns 16
The Saints have now had two weeks to reset after their trip to Paris and they draw a favorable matchup with Shedeur Sanders getting the start. Shough finds his rhythm despite Cleveland’s secondary, while New Orleans takes advantage of a Browns offensive line that has allowed an NFL-high 4.1 sacks per game. The Saints earn their first home win of the season and remain alive in the NFC South race.
Bold prediction: Tyler Shough throws three touchdowns against Cleveland’s sixth-ranked passing defense. -- Arye Pulli
Saints 24, Browns 13
You can't call this a 'get right' game for a Saints team that's done very little right this season. However, this should be a good matchup for New Orleans against a Cleveland team that's struggled offensively and will likely be without quarterback Deshaun Watson and Maliek Collins on defense. In this one, the Saints run the ball just well enough to establish balance and set up some big plays with Tyler Shough and the passing game. Defensively, New Orleans pummels Shadeur Sanders into several sacks and a few costly turnovers to finally get their first win of the year in the Superdome.
Bold prediction: New Orleans holds Cleveland to under 300 total yards, the first time the Saints have done that to an opponent this season. -- Bob Rose
Browns 24, Saints 17
The New Orleans Saints had their chance to rest and recuperate during the bye week, and are immediately faced with an extremely interesting test with the Cleveland Browns on deck. With Shedeur Sanders expected to start in place of Deshaun Watson, it should be interesting to see what he can do with a half-season of preparation since his last start. The Saints have been unstable both on defense and in the run game, and are facing a team allowing only 196.6 pass yards per game, No. 6 in the NFL. This will be an enormous test of if New Orleans can either run or beat out an exceptionally strong secondary, and in all reality, they've shown little to be confident in for either category.
Bold prediction: The Saints are held under 250 total scrimmage yards on the day. -- Jeremy Trottier
Saints 23, Browns 10
With Deshaun Watson’s status in doubt for this matchup, the New Orleans Saints have a much better chance of taking down a stingy Cleveland Browns team. If Watson is unable to go, Shedeur Sanders is prepared to step in under center, which could create opportunities for the Saints’ pass rush to get home against a less mobile quarterback. If New Orleans can take care of business defensively and find ways to put points on the board against an aggressive Browns defense, the Saints should be in a good position to come away with a victory at home.
Bold prediction: Saints defense records 5 sacks. -- Luke Loffredo
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Staff picks: Final score, bold predictions for Saints vs. Browns
