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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
Instant takeaways from Browns 35-14 loss to New Orleans Saints …
1. Wasted effort: In his return to New Orleans, Jameis Winston threw for 395 yards and had no turnovers. The Browns' offense committed but two penalties. Browns win, right? Nope. Their defense and special teams gave up too many big plays as the Saints prevailed, 35-14, in the audacious and deafening Caesars Superdome. Taysom Hill's 75-yard touchdown run – his third of the game – sealed it with 2:26 left. By then, the memory of three Dustin Hopkins field goal misses had faded from memory. Hill, the utility player extraordinaire, totaled 138 yards on 7 rushes. He also had 50 yards receiving on 8 catches, 18 yards in passing, an interception, a lost fumble, and a 42-yard kick return.The Browns fell to 2-8 after their fifth loss in a row to Saints QB Derek Carr and have a quick turnaround to play Pittsburgh on Thursday night.
2. Wearing down: Punter Corey Bojorquez saved a would-be 88-yard punt return for a TD by Dante Pettis by nudging the returner just enough for him to touch the boundary at the Browns’ 35. Five plays later, Derek Carr completed the drive, though, on a 1-yard TD throw to Juwan Johnson for a 28-14 Saints lead. With 6:04 left, Carr was 21 of 27 for 248 yards, 2 TD, and a 129.6 passer rating.
3. Defense battled, until … : The Browns’ defense had a solid third quarter. In one sequence, it held the Saints four plays in a row to negative or no gain. Then on the first play of the fourth quarter, Carr threw deep for Valdes-Scantling and Denzel Ward got a fingertip on the ball to break it up. Ward had himself a game. But on fourth-and-1 from the Browns’ 33, the defense again was victimized by Taysom Hill. Carr motioned to the right side of the line, leaving Hill in shotgun formation. Hill delayed the inevitable QB draw just enough to throw the Browns off balance. Hill made it to the secondary and then bounced off a weak Grant Delpit shoulder hit and sauntered to the end zone for a 33-yard TD and 21-14 Saints lead.
4. Jameis fired up: Winston threw for 234 yards and 1 TD in the first half, and kept a hot hand on his first possession of the second half. He moved the Browns 92 yards in 8 plays for a touchdown. Winston spotted Elijah Moore breaking free in the end zone and he fired it on the move. Moore not only made the catch at the right end zone boundary but got both feet down and survived a crushing hit by cornerback Alontae Taylor. Winston completed the drive by converting the 2-point play on a bullet to David Nojoku to tie the game, 14-14.
5. Warden ballin’: Denzel Ward ripped the ball out of Taysom Hill’s hands after a catch inside the Browns’ 10, and recovered the fumble to avert a New Orleans score right after the 2-minute warning in the first half. Earlier in the first quarter, Ward intercepted an underthrown deep ball by Taysom Hill for his first INT of the season and only the Browns’ second as a team.
6. Oh, no: On the third play of the Browns’ ensuing possession, left tackle Dawand Jones suffered a serious injury to his left ankle and was carted off the field. Germain Ifedi had to replace him because Jedrick Wills was inactive due to a flare-up of his knee problems at Friday’s practice.
7. We’re not making this up: Winston did a good job of moving the offense from the Browns’ 7 to the Saints’ 14 in the final 1:48 of the first half. Dustin Hopkins trotted in for a 32-yard field goal. Pulled it wide left. But, wait. A late holding call was made on the Saints, moving the ball to the Saints’ 9 with 7 seconds left. Watson threw two incompletions to set up a 27-yard chip shot for Hopkins. Pulled it wide left. The kicker also missed a 51-yard try. Yes, wide left.
8. That guy: Hill’s lost fumble notwithstanding, the all-purpose player haunted the Browns in the first half, like he’s done before. Hill was instrumental in the Saints’ first scoring drive, with an 18-yard completion after taking a pitch from Derek Carr, a 3-yard reception, and then a 10-yard TD run on a zone read option. Hill also had a 42-yard kickoff return.
9. Explosion, finally: The Browns didn’t have an offensive play over 40 yards through nine games, but they got one in the first quarter to get back in the game and quiet the very loud Superdome crowd. Winston moved from pressure and connected with Jerry Jeudy at the Saints’ 35. From there, Jeudy turned on the jets and romped all the way for an 89-yard catch and run. After the Saints were flagged for offsides before the PAT, the Browns tried for 2 points from the Saints’ 1. With linebacker Winston Reid and Nick Chubb lined up in the backfield, Winston play-faked, panicked under pressure and threw away the ball, effectively for intentional grounding.
10. Hot Carr: The Saints pulled ahead, 14-6, on their first possession of the second quarter when Carr rolled left, tossed a pass of 8 yards to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and MVS did the rest, running to the end zone for a 71-yard TD as cornerback Greg Newsome was turned around twice by fakes and blocks.
11. Go figure: Return specialist Kadarius Toney was activated for the first time all year. But instead of returning kicks, Toney’s only touch of the ball in the first half came when he lined up in the backfield and took a pitchout from Winston. The play netted a 7-yard loss.
12. Pre-game notes: The Browns said offensive tackle Jedrick Wills suffered a flare-up of his recurrent knee problem after Friday’s practice and that’s why he was made inactive. Others on the inactive list: quarterback Bailey Zappe, receiver/returner Jaelon Darden, running back D’Onta Foreman, cornerback Chigozie Anusiem. Darden’s unavailability seemed to indicated that newly elevated Kadarius Toney would serve double duty as punt and kickoff returner. But that was not the case.