CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The Browns had no answer for Taysom Hill and the Saints.
Hill accounted for 248 total yards and three touchdowns as the Saints scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Browns 35-14.
Here’s a few Brownie Bites from Week 11.
Cold hard math – Cleveland fell to 2-8 on the season and they play the Steelers, who took over first place with an 18-16 win over the Ravens, in four days. The good news, there’s only seven more of these to go until another offseason of optimism kicks off. Until then, straight down the elevator shaft they continue to go.
Comedy of errors – The Browns blew this one in many ways. They failed to convert a two-point conversion after New Orleans was called for offsides on the PAT try that could’ve given them an 8-7 lead. Winston was flagged for an intentional grounding on the try. Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals. New Orleans got two fourth down stops and ripped off a 53-yard punt return that would’ve gone for 75 and a score if not for Corey Bojorquez bumping returner Dante Pettis enough to force him to step out of bounds at the 35.
Steep Hill – Hill scored touchdowns of 10, 33 and 75 yards – all on the ground. Hill ran for 138 yards on seven carries and three scores but also added 18 yards passing, 50 receiving yards and 42 return yards.
300 club – Jameis Winston threw for 395 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. Winston, who completed 30 of 46 attempts, didn’t rack up a bunch of yards in garbage time either as he passed 300 with the game tied at 14. It was his second 300-yard game in three starts.
Burned again – The Browns defense, namely the secondary, continues to get torched. Saints quarterback Derek Carr hit receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 71-yard touchdown to extend the Saints lead to 14-6. It was the longest play allowed this season and ninth of over 40 yards. This season the defense has given up 50 plays of 20 or more yards and 19 of those have gone for over 30 yards.
Getting even – Browns receiver Elijah Moore got both toes down on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Winston to pull the Browns within 2 in the third quarter. David Njoku caught the 2-point conversion from Winston to tie the game at 14 to close out Cleveland’s scoring.
About time – It took 11 weeks and 10 games, but the Browns finally ran a play that gained over 40 yards thanks to Jerry Jeudy’s electric 89-yard touchdown catch and run that pulled Cleveland within 7-6. Jeudy caught six passes for 142 yards and a score to surpass 3,500 receiving yards for his career.
Stuffed early – Nick Chubb was stuffed by former Browns linebacker Demario Davis on fourth-and-1 from the Saints 49 for a loss of two yards. Chubb hit the edges for 13 yards on his first three carries where New Orleans had allowed over 5 yards per carry on designed runs outside the tackles according to Next Gen Stats. Cleveland entered the day 13 of 21 on fourth down this season. Chubb finished with 50 yards on 11 carries with a long run of 14 yards.
Wanted by the Warden – Denzel Ward felt he was due for an interception, and he came through late in the first quarter Sunday with his first pick of the season. Ward thwarted another Saints scoring threat with less than 2 minutes left in the first half by ripping the ball out of Taysom Hill’s hands after a catch that would’ve converted a third down inside the 10. Ward fell on the loose ball at the 7.
The yips – Kicker Dustin Hopkins has the yips. Hopkins was wide left from 51 in the first quarter, and he pushed a 27-yard try wide left as the clock expired at the end of the first half. Moments earlier Hopkins missed from 32, but a holding penalty on the Saints gave the Browns an automatic first down.
Inactives – QB Bailey Zappe (third quarterback), WR Jaelon Darden, RB D’Onta Foreman, CB Chigozie Anusiem, T Jedrick Wills Jr.
Injury report – LT Dawand Jones (left ankle)
