The Browns and Saints were tied at 6-6 midway through the fourth quarter.
But the game then became a barn burner in the final period and overtime, with a failed Cleveland two-point conversion allowing the Saints to escape with a narrow 23-22 victory.
New Orleans had taken a 9-6 lead with Charlie Smyth’s 48-yard field goal with 5:38 left in the contest. But the Browns immediately responded with a 64-yard touchdown catch by rookie KC Concepcion, who burned the defense off the line.
It was Concepcion’s first career touchdown.
The Browns, however, couldn’t hold the late lead. The team’s four-minute offense couldn’t convert enough first downs, leaving the Saints with time to get down the field. They were able to get in the end zone with Audric Estime’s 2-yard touchdown with 58 seconds on the clock, going ahead 16-13.
But Shedeur Sanders — playing after Deshaun Watson spent most of the week in concussion protocol — connected with Jerry Jeudy for a key 30-yard gain. The outstanding throw and catch set up Andre Szmyt for a game-tying 51-yard field goal to send the contest into overtime.
Juwan Johnson capped New Orleans’ OT possession with a 15-yard touchdown reception.
But Harold Fannin’s terrific catch-and-run put the Browns in position to tie it or win it with a 39-yard touchdown. Browns head coach Todd Monken elected to go for the win instead of settling for — at best — a potential tie. But Sanders’ throw to Denzel Boston was incomplete. Even if it had been caught, the Browns were flagged for holding.
Sanders finished the contest 19-of-31 for 297 yards with a pair of touchdowns.
On the other side, Tyler Shough was 21-of-35 for 265 yards with a TD.
Notably, New Orleans center Erik McCoy had to depart the game with an elbow injury.
The Saints have put themselves right back in the NFC South conversation at 3-5. They will have a chance to gain more ground in the division next Sunday, as they’ll play the Panthers at home.
The Browns have now dropped two in a row, falling to 5-4. They will play the Texans at home next Sunday before a Week 11 bye.
Saints Clips
There has been a touchdown in New Orleans — and it’s the first for a first-round rookie.
KC Concepcion got loose in the secondary and caught a 64-yard touchdown to give the Browns a 13-9 lead over New Orleans in the fourth quarter.
Concepcion had gone down late in the third quarter with an apparent leg injury. But he was able to come back into the game without missing much time, and was clearly OK while speeding down the field.
Concepcion now has four receptions for 85 yards with his first career NFL touchdown.
The TD was also the 10th completion of the day for Shedeur Sanders, who now is 10-of-17 for 184 yards with a TD.
The Browns and Saints haven’t been able to put much on the board, and the two teams are tied 3-3 at halftime.
The points have come from the kickers, as New Orleans’ Charlie Smyth opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal midway through the first period.
Andre Szmyt had a 41-yard field goal to tie the game early in the second quarter.
Both teams had an opportunity deep in opponent territory but weren’t able to put the ball in the box. Saints rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson fumbled on his first career reception, with the Browns recovering inside the 10-yard line.
Then the Saints put up a goal-line stand late in the second quarter, stuffing the Browns on a fourth-and-goal run from the 1-yard line.
The Browns have just 80 yards of offense. They have more penalties (seven) than first downs (five).
New Orleans has 176 total yards, eight first downs, and is 1-of-4 on third down.
Starting for Deshaun Watson, who was in concussion protocol this week, Shedeur Sanders is just 5-of-8 for 38 yards.
On the other side, Tyler Shough has completed 7-of-10 passes for 135 yards.
The Saints will receive the second-half kickoff.
Deshaun Watson cleared concussion protocol on Saturday, but the Browns kept him listed as questionable to play against the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday.
Head coach Todd Monken announced on Friday that Shedeur Sanders would start under any circumstances and the Browns announced on Sunday morning that Watson is inactive. Dillon Gabriel will serve as the backup to Sanders with rookie Taylen Green serving as the emergency third quarterback.
Watson should be ready to go for the Browns’ Week 10 game against the Texans, although a big day for Sanders could lead to Monken having to make a decision about which way to go in the team’s final game before their bye week.
Browns at Saints
Browns: QB Deshaun Watson, QB Taylen Green, LB Justin Jefferson, CB Noah Igbinoghene, C Parker Brailsford≤ DT Maliek Collins
Saints: QB Zach Wilson, S Mike Reid, RB C.J. Donaldson, DL Christen Miller, LB Jaylan Ford, OL Mason Murphy, DL John Ridgeway
Broncos at Panthers
Broncos: QB Sam Ehlinger, S Talanoa Hufanga, WR Lil’Jordan Humphrey, S Brandon Jones, CB Kris Abrams-Draine, OL Kage Casey, TE Dallen Bentley
Panthers: LB Jaelan Phillips, QB Haynes King, CB Will Lee, RB AJ Dillon, LB Bobby Okereke, G Damien Lewis, DT TeRah Edwards
Cowboys at Colts
Cowboys: LB DeMarvion Overshown, WR George Pickens, WR KaVontae Turpin, CB Joey Porter Jr., LB Tyrus Wheat, OL Ajani Cornelius, TE Luke Schoonmaker.
Colts: S A.J. Haulcy, CB Justin Walley, TE Pharaoh Brown, LB Akeem Davis-Gaiters, OL Charlie Heck, TE Will Mallory, QB Riley Leonard
Jets at Chiefs
Jets: WR Garrett Wilson, WR Tim Patrick, CB Nahshon Wright, LB Joseph Ossai, LB Trevon Wallace, OL Kohl Levao, OL Blake Freeland
Chiefs: CB Mansoor Delane, QB Garrett Nussmeier, FB Ben VanSumeren, DE Jack Pyburn, OT Diego Pounds, DT Peter Woods
Lions at Dolphins
Lions: CB D.J. Reed, DE DJ Wonnum, C Cade Mays, RB Jacob Saylors, TE Jordan Meeks, DL Mekhi Wingo, DE Ahmed Hassanein
Dolphins: RB Jaylen Wright, WR Jalen Tolbert, TE Justin Joly, G Christian Haynes, OL Chukwuebuka Godrick, CB Marcellas Dial, CB Reese Taylor
Giants at Eagles
Giants: RB Cam Skattebo, CB Colton Hood, CB Nikko Reed, OL Marcus Mbow, TE Thomas Fidone, OL Josh Sills, DT C.J. Okoye
Eagles: WR DeVonta Smith, LB Jihaad Campbell, WR Dontayvion Wicks, CB Jonathan Jones, DB Michael Carter, WR Britain Covey
Rams at Commanders
Rams: CB Trent McDuffie, QB Ty Simpson, LS Joe Cardona, LB Darryl Peterson, OL Bill Murray, OL Keagan Trost, LB Desjuan Johnson
Commanders: WR Treylon Burks, QB Athan Kaliakmanis, CB Fabian Moreau, CB Isaac Yiadom, G Tanoa Togiai
When the Saints host the Browns on Sunday, New Orleans defensive end Cam Jordan will reach a rare milestone.
The Week 9 game will be Jordan’s 250th. Via NBC Sports research, Jordan will become only the third defensive player in NFL history to play 250 or more games with the same team.
The others are Darrell Green, who played 295 games for Washington from 1983 through 2002, and Jim Marshall, who played 270 games for the Vikings from 1961 through 1979.
Jordan, the son of former Vikings tight end Steve Jordan, was a first-round pick in 2011. His dad played in 176 games from 1982 through 1994.
Cam is an eight-time Pro Bowler, with 132.0 career sacks. He’s currently 22nd on the all-time list.
The Saints offense will be getting a couple of reinforcements for Sunday’s game against the Browns.
They announced that they have activated left tackle Kelvin Banks and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson from injured reserve. Banks has been out since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2 and Tyson has yet to play this season due to a hamstring injury. Tyson was a first-round pick this season, so Sunday’s game will be his NFL debut.
As previously reported, the Saints released running back Kendre Miller in a corresponding move. They also released tight end Treyton Welch.
Kicker Charlie Smyth and running back Zamir White have been elevated from the practice squad on a temporary basis.
The Saints, on the last day before their first game since Week 7, have made a change.
Via Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football, the Saints have waived running back Kendre Miller.
Miller arrived as a third-round pick (71st overall) out of TCU in 2023. He has 184 career carries for 656 yards, a per-carry average of 3.56 yards. He also has 29 career catches for 217 yards.
The Saints presumably tried to trade Miller but found no takers. He’ll now go to waivers. If he clears waivers, he’ll become a free agent.
Travis Etienne, who arrived in free agency, remains on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The Saints currently have Alvin Kamara, C.J. Donaldson, and Audric Estimé on the depth chart. Estimé arrived recently on waivers from the Browns.
The 2-5 Saints host the 5-3 Browns on Sunday. The Saints hope to avoid their first 0-4 start at home since 1980 (not including the “home” game in Paris). That year, the Saints went 0-8 at home.
Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson won’t be starting Sunday’s game against the Saints, but he could be active as Shedeur Sanders’s backup.
The Browns announced on Saturday that Watson, who returned to practice Friday, has cleared concussion protocol. He is still listed as questionable to be available on Sunday, however.
Browns head coach Todd Monken announced Sanders will start on Friday, but declined to say whether Watson will be active as the No. 2. Dillon Gabriel and Taylen Green are both on the 53-man roster and could serve in that role.
The Browns also announced that they have signed defensive lineman Sam Kamara to the active roster and that they have elevated tight end Carsen Ryan from the practice squad for the game in New Orleans.
The Saints, like all teams, pay attention to the things said by their upcoming opponents.
Earlier this week, Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders seemed to make some less-than-flattering comments about the New Orleans defense. The New Orleans defense heard it, loud and clear.
“We’re gonna come in with a chip on our shoulder, for sure,” Saints defensive end Carl Granderson said Friday. “You know, they been chirping a little bit. We heard what the quarterback . . . said. So, you know, we’re [going to] come in hot and ready to play. . . . It’s gonna be a good game, for sure. We’re gonna come out with the [win].”
Asked Wednesday by reporters whether he has had a chance to study the Saints defense and to explain what he has seen, Sanders flashed a broad smile.
“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot,” Sanders said. “When I smile, just know that means something. I’m maturing. I’m maturing. Like, I could have given a decent answer, but now I’m just going to smile whenever it’s just, like, some questions.”
The better approach for Sanders would have been to project a poker face, and to give an answer that did nothing to attract the attention of the Saints’ defense.
So while he says he’s maturing, the ultimate level of maturity would consist of providing the most vanilla answer possible, praising the Saints and explaining that it will be a major challenge to beat them.
Instead, a Browns player has provided the next opponent — for the second straight week — with a little extra incentive.
Saints first-round pick Jordyn Tyson could make his regular season debut against the Browns on Sunday, but the team will wait to make a final determination on his status.
Tyson will be listed as questionable to play on Friday’s injury report. The wideout has missed the entire season with a hamstring injury, but returned to practice this week. He’ll need to be activated from injured reserve by Saturday afternoon in order to play against Cleveland.
That’s also true of Kelvin Banks, who has been on injured reserve since suffering an ankle injury in Week 2. Banks opened the season at left tackle and Asim Richards has been filling that slot. Richards is also listed as questionable due to a thumb injury.
Head coach Kellen Moore said that cornerback Martin Emerson (shin) drew a questionable tag as well. Running back CJ Donaldson (shoulder, concussion) has been ruled out.
