It took 59 minutes of game play, but the New Orleans Saints exercised their offensive demons and found the end zone, putting themselves back in the win column in the process.
Running back Audric Estime, who just days ago returned to the team after the Saints claimed him off of waivers, ran the ball into the end zone from two yards out to score with 59 seconds left in regulation. The Saints needed another touchdown in overtime, this one a Tyler Shough pass to tight end Juwan Johnson, and a defensive stop on a two-point conversion to beat the Cleveland Browns 23-22.
Shough finished the day completing 21 of 35 passes for 265 yards and that touchdown. Shough also ran the ball 10 times for 51 yards. Estime carried the ball 15 times for 72 yards and the touchdown. Chris Olave led all Saints receivers with seven catches for 98 yards.
Neither team's offense found a rhythm during most of the game. The Browns and the Saints combined for 10 total sacks, with Sanders and Saints quarterback Tyler Shough sacked five times each. The Saints (3-5) recorded 393 total yards of offense--139 of those yards coming on the last drive of regulation and on their overtime possession. Meanwhile, the Browns (5-4) needed the overtime period to break the 300-yard mark, netting a total of 355 yards.
The Saints had opportunities throughout the game to jump out to large leads, but mistakes prevented them from doing so.
A Shough fumble hamstrung the Saints' first drive after the offense drove inside the Cleveland 10-yard-line, setting up a 30-yard Charlie Smyth field goal to take an early 3-0. After forcing Cleveland to punt on their first drive, the Saints reached the Browns' 25-yard line. That drive came to a screeching halt when defensive tackle Mike Hall, Jr., sacked Shough for a nine-yard loss, forcing the Saints to attempt another field goal. This time, Smythe missed wide right.
Turnovers also haunted the Saints in the first half. Rookie receiver Jordyn Tyson, who made his NFL debut today after spending the first nine weeks of the season rehabbing a hamstring injury, fumbled promptly after making a catch at the Cleveland two-yard-line, killing a potential scoring chance. Moments later after the Saints defense forced Cleveland to punt, Barion Brown muffed the kick, allowing Cleveland to regain possession when Browns safety Donovan McMillan recovered the loose ball.
Despite earning the two takeaways, Cleveland failed to turn those Saints miscues into points.
Cleveland's first score came on the team's first possession of the second quarter. The Browns tied the score at three apiece when Andre Szmyt converted a 41-yard field goal.
The Browns took the lead on their first drive of the second half by driving to the Saints' 12-yard line and setting up Szmyt's second field goal of the day, a 30-yard kick.
New Orleans tied the score on the next drive. The Saints got inside the Browns' 10-yard line, but another sack of Shough, this time by linebacker Carson Schwesinger, forced the Black-and-Gold to settle for a 27-yard field goal by Smyth.
A quarter-and-a-half later, the Saints finally broke the tie. The Saints capitalized on an illegal contact penalty on a fourth-and-one play to keep their drive alive at the Cleveland 30. Another Shough sack, this one by cornerback Myles Harden, ultimately forced the Saints to send out Smyth to kick a 48-yard field goal, giving the Saints a 9-6 lead with 5:38 remaining in the game.
On the next play from scrimmage, Sanders connected with receiver KC Concepcion, Jr., for a 64-yard scoring pass with 5:21 to go in the game, giving Cleveland a 13-9 lead.
The Browns got one last chance after the Saints' go-ahead score late in the fourth quarter, and they made the most of it. Cleveland took seven plays to go 41 yards to set up a game-tying 51-yard field goal by Szmytz with 12 seconds remaining in regulation.
The Saints drained nearly six minutes off the clock with their overtime possession. The four-plus minutes remaining on the clock were enough for the Browns to put together a scoring drive capped off by a Sanders touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin, Jr., who dragged defenders to get to the end zone on the 39-yard play. However, Sanders's pass to Denzel Boston on the two-point conversion was incomplete, ending the Browns' rally and the game.
Sanders finished the day completing 19 of 31 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Boston was the Browns' leading receiver with six catches for 98 yards. Quinshon Judkins led the Browns in rushing with 43 yards on 15 carries.
The Saints host the Carolina Panthers next Sunday. The Browns host the Houston Texans next week.
