The Cleveland Browns went into New Orleans earlier today hoping that the bye week would have changed some things, however, it did not. The Browns came into today’s matchup with a record of 2-7, and last place in the AFC North.
The game started out with teams trading touchdowns, but a missed two-point conversion saw the Browns down 14-6 early in the second quarter. Dustin Hopkins missed an extra point and two field goals, and those miscues were signs of things to come. So, nothing out of the ordinary.
The game was close until the fourth quarter started. The Saints went on to score three touchdowns to go up by 21. The final score was 35-14, but the game felt like it was 50-14. The Browns struggled on all levels, giving up a 53-yard punt return to Dante Pettis, who almost took it to the house, but was ruled that he stepped out of bounds. Derrick Carr had no issues slinging it, putting up 248 yards and two touchdowns. Then, there was Tayson Hill, who had 50 receiving yards, 138 rushing yards, and 18 passing yards, totaling 3 TDs.
The offense was able to put up yards, but not points. In Jameis’ revenge game against his former team, he threw for almost 400 yards and two touchdowns, which was pretty much the entire offense. The running game was nonexistent, totaling 66 yards. The wide receivers had a good game, but the game as a whole was very disappointing. The Saints defense and special teams scored, the Browns lost Dewand Jones for the season, and it didn’t look like the bye week did much good. The same problems remain and may not be fixable until the off season.
Cleveland is on a short week as they take on a red hot rival on Thursday. They face the Pittsburgh Steelers, who beat the Ravens today and are 8-2 after a five game winning streak.
