This is the man who single-handedly destroyed the Browns with a heroic all-around performance in the Saints 35-14 victory. (New Orleans Saints)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is an analyst of the Cleveland Browns for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland. He has covered the Browns since 1984.
NEW ORLEANS, LA
Five years after he retires, on the induction stage in Canton, or wherever he would be continuing his life’s work, Taysom Hill owes it to everyone who witnessed his Hall of Fame performance on Sunday to thank the Cleveland Browns for making it all possible.
The 34-year-old all-purpose player not only defeated the Browns, he demoralized them. Hill, a quarterback by trade and built like a tight end, had touchdown runs of 33 and 75 yards in the fourth quarter to turn a 14-14 tie into a 35-14 laugher for the New Orleans Saints, sending the Browns to their eighth loss in 10 games.
Hill also opened the game’s scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run, giving him 138 yards on 7 carries. He also caught 8 of 10 targets for 50 yards, returned a kickoff 42 yards, and completed 1 of 2 passes for 18 yards. And … proving he is not a Marvel Superhero, Hill tossed an interception and lost a fumble after a catch.
Ultimately, Hill touched the ball 27 times and accounted for 206 of New Orleans’ 473 offensive yards, and 42 of their 96 return yards.
“I knew he was a good player, but he definitely had a bigger role in this offense than expected,” said defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo. “He’s a helluva player.”
From his locker a few feet from Okoronkwo, safety Grant Delpit offered a dissenting view.
Emphasizing, “Yeah, I missed a tackle,” Delpit proceeded to say, “It’s more on us, not about him.”
Yes, Delpit’s weak shoulder nudge on Hill’s 33-yard touchdown journey on a fourth-and-1 quarterback draw play served as Exhibit A of the Browns’ defensive breakdowns against Hill in particular and the Saints’ beautifully conceived offense in general.
“It’s just not doing what we were supposed to do,” said defensive end Myles Garrett, who missed a lot of time with an unannounced injury and tossed a shutout on the final stats report – no tackles or assists. “He definitely was a guy we circled. We just didn’t get it done.”
“I don’t think it was [lack of] effort,” Garrett continued. “It’s execution, tackling. There were guys there multiple times [to stop Hill]. We have to make those tackles.”
Derek Carr added a 1-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter – after a Dante Pettis 88-yard punt return was reduced to 53 yards when a toenail touched out of bounds at the Browns’ 35 – as the Saints sent ablaze another night of celebrating on Bourbon Street.
All of which led to the biggest waste of a good performance by quarterback Jameis Winston there will ever be.
In his return to New Orleans, where he was cheered as he first entered the game, Winston passed for 395 yards and two touchdowns – and was not intercepted. He connected for touchdowns of 89 yards to Jerry Jeudy and 30 to Elijah Moore to give thousands of Browns fans in attendance reason to cheer.
But Winston and the offense failed two times inside or near the red zone, and every blown possession loomed large in a game that turned into an up-and-down shootout.
Following true to form, Winston warbled about his gratitude for having the opportunity to play in New Orleans and make a connection with Saints fans in four years here before joining the Browns.
“I just wish we could have got a win for the Browns, man,” he said.
This was another example of the Browns failing to play complementary football. While the offense amassed 443 yards, the defense gave up 473 and offensive scoring plays of 75 and 71 yards (a catch-and-run by Marquez Valdes-Scantling).
The special teams were completely undone, allowing returns of 42 and 53 yards. And then there was Dustin Hopkins.
Hopkins had a horrendous day kicking. Last year’s hero missed wide left from 51 yards, missed wide left from 32 yards, received a reprieve on a New Orleans penalty, and missed wide left from 27 yards. Almost perfect a year ago, Hopkins is now 14 of 20 on field goals and 10 of 12 on PATs.
“I expect better for my teammates and for the city of Cleveland,” Hopkins said. “It does not feel good being the weak link.”
Hopkins explained that he made a correction at halftime, nailed a few kicks before the second half began, and was anxious to atone. “But it was too late,” he said.
Another wasted performance was that of cornerback Denzel Ward, who ended his and the team’s annoying interception drought with a pick on Hill’s underthrown deep ball for Valdes-Scantling, and also forced and recovered a fumble of Hill after a reception.
Adding injury to insult, behemoth left tackle Dawand Jones was lost for the season, coach Kevin Stefanski confirmed, with a broken ankle or leg. The coach wouldn’t say which.
If you count the last two games of 2023 and the three preseason games of 2024, the Browns have lost 13 of their last 15 contests.
“When you lose by 21 points, you don’t feel good about anything,” Stefanski said. “[Losses] are all hard. We’ll get back to work, put a plan together and try to get a win Thursday against Pittsburgh.”
Maybe the quick turnaround to the Steelers’ visit in four days is a good thing. There’s no off day on the Browns’ work schedule until Wednesday. No time to process the miserable fourth quarter that ruined the day for them.
The Steelers are coming to town and they’re in first place. Nothing could undo Sunday’s defeat more than a win against their arch-rivals.
“Ever since I became a Brown, I learned I don’t become a Brown until we beat the Steelers,” Winston said.
OK, then, let’s go. Anybody?