Browns Lose to Saints in Abominable Game

A game no one will be telling their grandchildren about, the Cleveland Browns had their playoff chances snuffed out by the New Orleans Saints in weather that wasn't suitable for human life.

The Cleveland Browns weren't expected to make the playoffs this season, so being officially eliminated from the postseason was only mildly disappointing. The shame of it wasn't that they lost to the New Orleans Saints, though it added to the frustration, but the weather conditions were so horrendous it made it difficult to really learn anything about this team with Deshaun Watson at quarterback, the most important aspect of the remaining games this season.

The biggest takeaway from this game is no one wanted to be there. With temperatures that felt like -15 degrees Fahrenheit and wind gusting up to 30 miles per hour, they aren't supposed to be. Coaches, players, the handful of fans that showed up as well as the officials looked absolutely miserable.

All the talk about how the cold was simply a mindset and wouldn't impact players became an afterthought seconds into the game. Shirtless pregame routines were replaced by desperate players running off the field seeking out heaters like they were oxygen needed to breathe. Often, players played to the hint of a whistle. 

So what are the other takeaways for the Browns?

The Browns dropped two touchdown passes. Amari Cooper was wide open in the middle of the end zone only to have his feet slip out from under him while trying to catch a pass from Deshaun Watson. The Browns settled for a field goal instead of having a two-touchdown lead. Cooper was the team's leading receiver in the matchup, with 72 receiving yards on six receptions.

Donovan Peoples-Jones dropped a ball in the corner of the end zone in which he had position, with his back to the defender but couldn't hang onto the pass. The ensuing play, tight end David Njoku couldn't come up with a pass that would've had the Browns at the two-yard line. A touchdown would've given the Browns the opportunity to tie the game or go for two, going for the win.

Deshaun Watson made a handful of egregious decisions, particularly later in the game ranging from throwing one-yard passes when time was a factor to taking a sack on the final play of the game.

The Browns passed more than expected given the conditions. They at least had the sense to do most of it with the wind at their backs. Only three points in the game were scored going against the wind, a field goal by the Saints before the half. The other 24 points were all with the wind. Watson did make a handful of beautiful throws in the game. The issue Watson has been dealing with has been the speed of the game, but since everyone was so much slower in this contest, it was largely irrelevant.

The play calling had their own set of curious decisions in this game. Some of their aggressive play calling was open, but didn't connect. Given the conditions, it only made some of those misses look even worse, more questionable.

Kevin Stefanski, the team's head coach is going to be aggressive. He's said as much when asked. The choice to pass both on 3rd-and-2 and then 4th-and-2 from their own 39 have drawn the most criticism. It would helpful to know if those plays were straight passes or if they were called with the option for Watson to run the ball.

Watson ran the ball three times in the game. The best was a 14-yard touchdown. However, it seemed as though Watson declined to run at times when he otherwise might have. The most curious was when Watson worked to his right with a defender behind Donovan Peoples-Jones only a few feet away from him. Rather than allowing the defender to follow him and keep the ball, Watson threw it to DPJ. He was immediately tackled, gaining just two yards.

Regardless, those two play calls at their own 39 stand out like a sore thumb as neither looked like they had a real chance to succeed.

Defensively, the Browns got a spark from Grant Delpit intercepting a dropped Andy Dalton pass. That led to their only touchdown of the game. Delpit also made a handful of impact run stops in the game.

The Browns missed Jadeveon Clowney. They were grossly shorthanded up front and the Saints were able to lean on them at times. Much of the Browns success on that side of the ball was caused by timely blitzes and occasionally inspired linebacker play. Reggie Ragland had a team-leading seven solo tackles.

The Saints scored 10 of their 17 points bracketing half time. They got the last drive of the first half. The Browns were able to get a stop in their own end, forcing them to settle for a field goal. They went into the half with a 10-3 lead. The Saints came back out and drove 69 yards on nine plays. Taysom Hill finished off the drive running through Browns tacklers with an 8-yard touchdown. That tied the game at 10.

Those two drives accounted for 135 of the Saints 244 total yards on the day. Their last touchdown resulted after a Watson pass bounced off the hands of rookie David Bell, which was then intercepted by Daniel Sorenson. The Saints took over at the Browns 15-yard line and scored in four plays. A 3rd-and-8 pass completed to Juwan Johnson was particularly disheartening as no one seemed to be accounting for that as a possibility. It was an easy first down. Alvin Kamara scored on the next play.

This game came down to the red zone. The Browns only scored a touchdown on one of their three opportunities. The Saints cashed in two for touchdowns and got a field goal with their other. That proved to be the difference. 

Did the Browns offense progress? No. They took reps, but it's virtually impossible to derive any meaning from Deshaun Watson's performance as it relates to acclimating to game speed or his comfort within the offense. Did the Browns defense show anything that wasn't already apparent? No. Did anything really change as a result of having played this game? They lost, dropping their record to 6-9 and ending any minute hopes of the playoffs, but otherwise no. 

Hopefully, games against the Washington Commanders and Pittsburgh Steelers, both on the road, will be more entertaining and worthwhile for the Browns.