A Deep Dive Into The Saints' Rocky Showdowns Against The Browns

The Saints history against the Cleveland Browns has not been a pretty one.

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) runs the ball against the Cleveland Browns / Scott R. Galvin-Imagn Images

The 3-7 New Orleans Saints host the 2-7 Cleveland Browns as part of Week 11 of NFL action.  For the Saints, who have a bye next week, it will be the fourth game of the year against an AFC opponent.

This will be just the 20th all-time meeting between the Saints and Browns, with their last one coming in 2022. Believe it or not, these teams were actually divisional opponents before the AFL-NFL merger in 1970.

Cleveland and New Orleans each finished second in their respective divisions last season. However, each had vastly different perspectives on their results. The Saints finished at 9-8 in 2023, but missed the playoffs for the third straight year.  On the other hand, the Browns finished at 11-6 and made the playoffs for just the second time since the 2002 campaign.

Both teams came into 2024 with big expectations.  Cleveland answered those by losing six of their last seven outings.  New Orleans also collapsed after a very promising 2-0 start to the year.

With each team looking to salvage something out of this season, here's a look back at some of their most memorable matchups.

Saints vs. Browns Series History

• 6-13 all-time record

• 3-8 at home

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan (94) pressures Cleveland Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson (4) during a 2022 meeting in Cleveland / NOLA.com

The first meeting between Cleveland and New Orleans occurred in 1967, the Saints' first season in the NFL. Cleveland battered New Orleans by a 42-7 score in Tulane Stadium behind 421 yards of total offense and five Saints turnovers, intercepting three different Saints quarterbacks four times.

In 1968, these teams were joined in the NFL's Century Division and played each other twice during the year. During the season opener, again played in Tulane Stadium, the Browns took a 24-10 win with 107 yards rushing from Leroy Kelly and two unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break a 10-10 tie. Kelly ran for 127 yards and added 104 receiving during the rematch in Cleveland later that year, a 35-17 Browns victory.

The Saints were moved back into the Capitol Division in 1969, but still hosted the Browns in Tulane Stadium that season. Despite 161 yards rushing from New Orleans, Cleveland took a 27-17 victory by forcing four turnovers.

The merger separated New Orleans and Cleveland into separate conferences, but the Saints would host the Browns late in the 1971 campaign. New Orleans forced seven Cleveland turnovers, yet still fell by a 21-17 margin.

New Orleans would make just their second trip to Cleveland four years later in 1975. They'd hold a 16-3 lead into the fourth quarter, but bumbled their way through the latter stages of the game as Cleveland pulled out a 17-16 victory. The Saints would host the Browns for the first time in the Superdome in 1978, but 179 yards on the ground paved the way for a 24-16 Cleveland win.

Oct 18, 1981; FILE PHOTO; New Orleans Saints running back George Rogers (38) runs for yardage against the Cleveland Browns / Malcolm Emmons - USA TODAY SPORTS

New Orleans traveled again to Cleveland during the 1981 season. Rookie RB George Rogers helped the Saints to a 17-10 lead. However, Browns QB Brian Sipe proved too much for the New Orleans defense as Cleveland prevailed late by a 20-17 score.

After losing the first eight games in their series history against the Browns, the Saints finally got their first victory against Cleveland in 1984.

Midway through the '84 campaign, the Browns replaced coach Sam Rutigliano with Marty Schottenheimer. In his first game at the helm, Schottenheimer's Browns would host the New Orleans Saints.

Richard Todd had his best game of an otherwise abysmal tenure in New Orleans, completing 21 of 27 throws for 294 yards. Kicker Morten Andersen also converted two late field goals as the Saints pulled out a 16-14 win, their first ever against the Browns.

The Saints wouldn't record their first win against Cleveland in New Orleans until the opener of the 1987 season. New Orleans got 147 yards rushing from RB Rueben Mayes that day, but Browns QB Bernie Kosar countered with 314 yards passing. However, two fourth quarter sacks of Kosar for safeties and a late Morten Andersen field goal provided the margin for a Saints victory by a 28-21 score.

Three years later, New Orleans again hosted Cleveland. This time, the Saints raced out to a 25-6 lead, then their outstanding defense held on for a 25-23 win. Those first three victories against the Browns were followed by three more losses (1993, 1999, 2002) in the series against them.

The last of those two were in the Superdome, with one being one of the most embarrassing moments in Saints franchise history.

Oct 31, 1999; Cleveland Browns receiver Kevin Johnson (85) catches the winning touchdown against the New Orleans Saints / Cleveland.com

The original Browns franchise relocated and renamed themselves as the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. Cleveland would not regain an NFL franchise until league expansion brought back the Browns in 1999. The new Browns lost their first seven games, most by lopsided margins, until traveling to New Orleans on Halloween in 1999.

New Orleans had come into that game with a 1-5 record in the third and final year of the humiliating regime of coach Mike Ditka. They rolled up 231 yards rushing that afternoon against the Browns, including 179 from rookie RB Ricky Williams. However, five turnovers and awful quarterback play from Billy Joe Hobert and Billy Joe Tolliver kept Cleveland in striking distance.

On the final play of the game, Browns QB Tim Couch heaved a 56-yard Hail Mary to WR Kevin Johnson for an improbable touchdown to give them a 21-16 win, the first for the ''new'' Browns.

Three years later, in 2002, six New Orleans turnovers nullified 318 yards passing from Saints QB Aaron Brooks, which resulted in a 24-15 Cleveland victory in New Orleans. The next meeting between Cleveland and New Orleans would provide a historical footnote for the Saints franchise.

Quarterback Drew Brees and head coach Sean Payton joined the Saints in 2006. Their first game together would be the season opener at the Cleveland Browns. Brees was efficient when it counted, an unknown rookie wideout named Marques Colston caught his first career touchdown, and RB Deuce McAllister rushed for 90 yards.

The Saints defense was the real story of the day, holding Cleveland to 186 total yards while forcing three turnovers and recording five sacks in a 19-14 Saints win.

Sep 10, 2006; New Orleans Saints receiver (12) Marques Colston after a reception against the Cleveland Browns / Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Cleveland would take the next two in the series between these teams. In a 2010 win in New Orleans, the Browns stomped the defending Super Bowl champion Saints by a 30-17 score by intercepting Drew Brees four times. In a 2014 trip to Cleveland, a Browns field goal in the final seconds sent the Saints to a 26-24 defeat.

These teams last faced off in New Orleans during the second game of the 2018 season. It was an ugly affair, with the Saints putting up only 275 yards of total offense. However, two fourth quarter scoring receptions by WR Michael Thomas and a late field goal by Wil Lutz allowed New Orleans to pull out a 21-18 victory.

The last time the Saints and Browns played each other was on Christmas Eve in Cleveland during the 2022 campaign. It was played in cold and blustery conditions with a 6-degree temperature at kickoff and even more bitter wind chills.

New Orleans outplayed Cleveland in the elements. Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill accounted for 166 of their 244 total yards, with each scoring a fourth quarter touchdown in a 17-10 win.

Sep 16, 2018; New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara (41) breaks a big gain against the Cleveland Browns / Chuck Cook-Imagn Images

After a season-ending injury to Deshaun Watson, former Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will lead the Browns into New Orleans. He'll face a disappointing Saints defense that ranks 28th or worse in all major categories but has an offense that ranks a lowly 31st overall to back him.

Like New Orleans, Cleveland was expected to have a formidable defense this season. It's performed better than the Saints, but is still a middling 14th or worse in most categories. The Browns will square off against a shorthanded Saints' offense that's also around the middle of the pack in most categories.

Poor performances cost Dennis Allen his job with the Saints. However unlikely, New Orleans is not mathematically out of the NFC playoff chase. The more realistic scenario is where the Saints look to salvage their season with a strong stretch run to save some jobs. Historically, they've not performed well against the Browns, who are also looking to rebound to possibly save the job of their own coach, Kevin Stefanski.