The New Orleans Saints beat the Cleveland Browns 23-22 in overtime Sunday at the Caesars Superdome, holding on when Cleveland's two-point pass failed with a minute left. The Saints won it on the ground, averaging 5 yards a carry against about 3 for the Browns.
That gap showed up in how the drives ended. New Orleans picked up 10 first downs rushing to Cleveland's 4, while the Browns went 0-2 in the red zone and 0-2 on fourth down. Cleveland's offense moved the ball through the air, but it scored touchdowns only from distance and kicked field goals the rest of the way.
The Saints survived their own mistakes to do it. They lost 2 fumbles while the Browns did not turn the ball over once, and New Orleans still found the end zone when it mattered.
How It Happened
Charlie Smyth opened the scoring with a 30-yard field goal at 7:20 of the first quarter. Andre Szmyt matched it with a 41-yarder at 10:30 of the second, and the teams went to the half tied.
Szmyt put Cleveland ahead with a 30-yard kick at 9:01 of the third. Smyth tied it again from 27 yards with 2:26 left in the quarter.
The fourth quarter is where the game opened up. Smyth's 48-yard field goal at 5:38 gave New Orleans the lead, and moments later Shedeur Sanders hit KC Concepcion for a 64-yard touchdown to flip it back to Cleveland.
The Saints answered with Audric Estime's 2-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds left. Szmyt then forced overtime with a 51-yard field goal with 8 seconds on the clock.
Overtime
Tyler Shough found Juwan Johnson for a 15-yard touchdown with 4:17 left in the extra period to put New Orleans ahead, and Smyth added the extra point.
Cleveland had one more answer. Sanders connected with Harold Fannin Jr. on a 39-yard touchdown with a minute remaining, but the two-point pass failed and the Saints escaped.
Key Performers
Shedeur Sanders (CLE): TD passes of 64 YDS to KC Concepcion and 39 YDS to Harold Fannin Jr.
Andre Szmyt (CLE): Field goals of 41, 30 and 51 YDS, plus an extra point
Charlie Smyth (NO): Field goals of 30, 27 and 48 YDS, plus extra points after both touchdowns
Rushing (NO): 32 ATT, 160 YDS, 5.0 per carry; Audric Estime – 2-yard TD
Tyler Shough (NO): 15-yard TD pass to Juwan Johnson in overtime
Cleveland had the better passing day, at 7.2 yards per pass to 5.9 for New Orleans. The Saints were the more complete offense, finishing with 396 total yards to the Browns' 355.
What It Means
New Orleans improves to 3-5, and the win came in a building that has not been kind to it. The Saints are 1-4 at home and 2-1 on the road, so a home win over a winning team is one they needed.
Cleveland falls to 5-4, and the road is the problem. The Browns are 3-0 at home and 2-4 away, and this loss fits the pattern: no turnovers and a strong passing day still were not enough away from home.
The fix starts in the red zone. A team that fails to score a touchdown on either trip inside the 20 and comes up short on both fourth-down tries is leaving points on the field, and on Sunday that was the game.