Browns vs Saints recap: Cleveland can’t stop Taysom Hill, who runs for 3 touchdowns in 35-14 loss

The offense played fairly well, but the defense and special teams units laid eggs.

The Browns may have had well over 400 yards of offense and had a tie score of 14-14 heading to the final quarter, but in the blink of an eye, Taysom Hill continued to torch Cleveland’s defense as he ran for three touchdowns en route to the Saints winning 35-14.

So much for the Browns being prepared after the bye week. Any time Hill lined up, you knew what he was going to do, and the defense couldn’t stop him. Let’s get to the full game recap below.

Browns vs. Saints Live Blog

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Pre-Game

The bye week is over for the Cleveland Browns, as they battle the New Orleans Saints on the road in Week 11. The action kicks off at 1:00 pm ET, and we will be bringing you live game updates and highlights here throughout the game.

Despite being underdogs and having a 2-7 record, that didn’t stop our staff from projecting a Browns victory this week. It isn’t just blind faith, though — the Saints have struggled this year, losing seven straight games at one point and then firing their head coach.

Will the Browns be able to pull off the win against the Saints and then get ready for a quick turnaround against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday night? We can only hope! They will need big games from QB Jameis Winston and RB Nick Chubb, and then on defense, CB Denzel Ward and S Juan Thornhill can’t waste another big game from DE Myles Garrett by having communication breakdowns.

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1st Quarter

1:00 PM: The Browns received the opening kickoff, and the first play of the game was a handoff to RB Nick Chubb for 6 yards. Chubb got the next handoff again and bounced to the outside for another 6 yards and a first down. A few plays later, the offense found themselves in a 3rd-and-9 after an incomplete pass and a short run. On third down, QB Jameis Winston was blitzed and found WR Elijah Moore over the middle for a gain of 8 yards. On 4th-and-1, the Browns went heavy from midfield and went for it. They handed it to Chubb, but the Saints clogged it up and stuffed the play for a loss of 2 yards and a turnover on downs.

1:10 PM: The Saints took over in Cleveland territory at the 49 yard line. On second down, a delayed handoff to RB Alvin Kamara broke for a gain of 13 yards. Kamara got the pitch on the next play, manuevering through traffic for a gain of 5 yards. On the next play, they pulled off some trickery with an end around to QB Taysom Hill, who then threw a strike down to the 13 yard line for 18 yards. The action to Hill continued, as QB Derek Carr threw a pass to him for 3 yards. Hill then lined up at quarterback on the next play, took the snap, and ran around the edge to the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown, giving the Saints a 7-0 lead with 9:54 to go in the opening quarter.

1:18 PM: On Cleveland’s second drive, Winston threw a pass for TE David Njoku up the seam. Njoku dropped it among traffic, but a defender’s helmet collided with him, drawing a 15 yard penalty. After a 3-yard run by Chubb, Winston tried lofting a pass down the right sideline for WR Jerry Jeudy, but it sailed out of bounds. On 3rd-and-7, Winston overthrew WR Cedric Tillman, who was open on the deep crossing route. Cleveland sent out the punt unit, and P Corey Bojorquez got it down to the 12 yard line, where it was fair caught.

1:24 PM: On second down, the Saints got out of being backed up by tossing a middle screen to Kamara that went for an 18-yard gain. Carr followed that up with two quick passes to Hill that combined for another first down. On the next play, two Browns defenders fell down as Kamara went around the left edge for a gain of 9 yards. A few plays later, on 3rd-and-1, Carr ended up keeping it on a quarterback sweep and picked up five yards himself for a first down. Of note during the drive, S Ronnie Hickman appeared to be getting some reps over S Juan Thornhill:

The first quarter action to Hill continued, as he caught an 8-yard pass, then lined up at quarterback again for a keeper that lost 1 yard. On 3rd-and-3, Hill caught it again to the outside, but S Grant Delpit stopped him just shy of the marker. The Saints bypassed a 52-yard field goal attempt to go for it. On 4th-and-1, Carr aired it out on what looked to be a 29-yard completion, but a hold was called on the Saints. On 4th-and-11, the Saints sent out the punt unit, pinning Cleveland back to the 11 yard line with 2:07 remaining in the first quarter.

1:36 PM: To start their third series, Winston ran a playaction fake and then found WR Jerry Jeudy open up the seam. Jeudy beat the coverage, who broke free for an explosive 89-yard touchdown to make it 7-6!

The Saints jumped into the neutral zone on the extra point try, so Cleveland went for it since the ball was at the 1 yard line. The Saints weren’t fooled by the playaction fake, though, and stopped the play from even developing, keeping the Saints on top.

1:40 PM: The Saints got a good kick return out to their own 41 yard line, and then on first down, Hill tried to launch it deep. There were three defenders and one receiver in the area, though, so Cleveland’s secondary finally got their first interception of the season as CB Denzel Ward came down with it at the 18 yard line!

1:45 PM: Cleveland began their drive with a tight end screen pass to Njoku, which picked up 17 yards. On the next play, though, new WR Kadarius Toney got the end around and went backwards for a loss of 7 yards. Winston ended the first quarter with an 8-yard scramble.

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2nd Quarter

1:48 PM: The Browns faced a 3rd-and-9 to start the second quarter, down 7-6. Winston could only find Moore for a 2 yard gain on a short crossing pattern, so Bojorquez came back out for another punt. This one was fair caught at the 20 yard line, where the Saints would take over after their turnover drive.

1:51 PM: Kamara was shoestring tackled after a 6 yard gain to start the Saints’ next drive. A short run then set up a 3rd-and-1. Carr ran a playaction fake and rolled to his left. Cleveland’s defense froze, and they found another communication breakdown — WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling caught it and then took over, breaking free for a 71-yard touchdown pass that extended New Orleans’ lead to 14-6.

1:58 PM: The Browns put QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson in on first down, but he only handed off for no gain. Winston returned for second down, and he completed a pass up the right sideline to Moore for a first down. TE Jordan Akins made a great catch up the seam for a pickup of 20 yards and past midfield. On the next two plays, Winston couldn’t connect with WR Cedric Tillman, setting up a 3rd-and-long. The Saints brought a blitz, but Winston found Jeudy on the right side for a catch-and-run that got past the marker for a first down.

A couple of runs by RB Jerome Ford set up a 3rd-and-4. Winston couldn’t find anyone (replays showed Njoku broke open deep to the left) and tried to avoid the rush, but eventually took a sack for a loss of 7 yards. The Browns sent K Dustin Hopkins out for a 51-yard field goal, but he immediately pulled it wide to the left and no good, keeping it a 14-6 game with 6:45 remaining in the first half.

2:06 PM: The Browns’ defense faced a 3rd-and-3, trying to get their first three-and-out of the game, but also trying to avoid the big play allowed on the previous drive. Carr took the snap and calmly threw the ball over the middle to TE Juwan Johnson for a gain of 20 yards. New Orleans kept marching downfield, before facing a 3rd-and-3 at the 11 yard line at the two-minute warning.

Coming out of the two-minute warning, Carr fired a strike to Hill for a first down. But while Hill was trying to gain more yards, the ball came loose as Ward stripped it and the Browns recovered with 1:55 to go.

2:15 PM: Starting at the 8 yard line, a handoff to Ford went for 1 yard, and the Saints burned a timeout. On second down, Winston got a short pass to Njoku, with the Saints taking their second timeout. On 3rd-and-5, Winston threw a laser up the sideline to Jeudy in between the zone, and he held on despite taking a hit, for 23 yards.

After the Saints used their final timeout, Winston completed a pass to Njoku for 7 yards, but LT Dawand Jones was rolled up on, as the cart came out. That forced OT Germain Ifedi to come in at left tackle and Cleveland to use their second timeout. A couple more short completions got the Browns past midfield with 0:47 remaining and one timeout. A screen pass to Ford saw a burst to get down to the 32 yard line, and in long field goal range again. The Browns used their final timeout, with 0:40 left now.

Njoku broke a tackle to get down to the 18 yard line for a 14 yard gain, and Winston then spiked the ball with 0:23 left. They got a little closer with a 4-yard completion to Jeudy, but on 3rd-and-6, Winston’s pass was sailed for an incomplete pass. The Browns sent Hopkins out for a field goal, but he shanked it again from 32 yards out. However, they were bailed out by a holding penalty on the Saints.

Now facing 1st-and-goal at the 9 yard line, the offense came back on the field with 0:11 to go. Winston’s pass was tipped and incomplete, now with 0:07 left. The offense would get one more crack to rip a pass, and Winston’s pass was underthrown and tipped over the middle, and nearly intercepted as he tried to hit Akins. Hopkins came back in for a 27 yard field goal, and he inexplicably missed it again. Yikes. The Saints maintained a 14-6 lead at the half.

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3rd Quarter

2:45 PM: The Saints will get the ball to begin the third quarter and started good with a 16-yard pass to Valdez-Scantling, followed by a 12-yard run by Hill into Cleveland territory. The defense forced an incomplete pass and then stopped Kamara for no gain to set up 3rd-and-10. Carr’s pass sailed incomplete, so they sent out the punt unit to try to pin the Browns back. Moore made a fair catch at the 7 yard line, forcing them to start backed up again.

2:52 PM: On first down, Winston dropped back and had a lot of time to throw. His pass went incomplete as he tried to get Moore deep. On second down, he faked a handoff and zipped it to Tillman over the middle, for a catch-and-run of 21 yards. On 2nd-and-6, Chubb was finally seen again, and he found daylight for a run of 14 yards up to midfield. Two more carries to Chubb saw him move the chains again, now to the Saints’ 41 yard line.

Winston dodged a blitz on the next play and found Jeudy for a first down catch. Another playaction on the next play saw Winston roll to his right and finding Moore in the back right corner of the end zone for a nice 30-yard touchdown pass to make it a 14-12 game! Cleveland went for two again to try to tie it, and Winston hit Njoku over the middle for the conversion. It’s a new ballgame, with 8:49 to go in the third quarter.

3:02 PM: The Browns kicked off for a touchback, as the Saints began at the 30 yard line. A pitch play to Kamara went for 2 yards, as Cleveland looked to play complementary football. They didn’t quite do that on the next play, though, as TE Frank Moreau found an open spot to midfield for 28 yards. The defense followed that up by stuffing Kamara on two straight plays to set up a key 3rd-and-14. Carr tried a screen to Kamara, but that was also stopped for no gain. The Saints punted and pinned Cleveland’s offense back to the 10 yard line with 5:27 left in the third quarter.

3:08 PM: Cleveland tried to run to start the draft, but Chubb was bottled up for no gain. Ford was in on the next play and caught a short pass, breaking a tackle to then move the chains. On the next play, Winston launched a deep ball up the right sideline for Jeudy. The coverage was tight, but Jeudy couldn’t haul in what looked like a great pass. On 3rd-and-7, Winston tried finding Moore on a bomb again, but the pass was overthrown and landed incomplete. Bojorquez punted it and S D’Anthony Bell did a nice job tackling the return man at the 23 yard line.

3:14 PM: On the first play, DE Ogbo Okoronkwo forced a strip on Carr, although Carr recovered for a loss of 7 yards. Kamara got the next carry for a few yards, setting up a 3rd-and-13. Carr didn’t have anyone at first, but bought time before finding Hill leaking out late for a first down. A few plays later, Carr found Moreau again for 22 yards to end the quarter at the Browns’ 42 yard line.

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4th Quarter

3:20 PM: The Saints faced a 1st-and-10 at the Browns’ 42 yard line to begin the fourth quarter, and the game tied 14-14. The Saints took a shot in first down, but Ward jumped and broke up the pass. On second down, Kamara caught a pass in the flat that went no where. On 3rd-and-10, Moreau was stopped inches shy of a first down, making it 4th-and-inches in field goal range. The offense stayed on the field with Hill deep back in Shotgun. He took the snap and rumbled through a hole, breaking free for 33 yards and a touchdown, making it a 21-14 game with 13:22 to go.

3:28 PM: Now looking ahead for Cleveland, if they do score a touchdown, do you trust Hopkins to try an extra point to try it? They didn’t start their drive well after Ford booted the kickoff, allowing the Saints to tackle him at the 16 yard line. WR Jamari Thrash saw some action with a 11-yard catch on first down off of playaction. A couple plays later, on 3rd-and-4, the quick out to Njoku got the first down to reach midfield.

Two plays later, the Browns faced a 3rd-and-10. Winston was hit in the pocket and sacked, forcing a punt. Bojorquez punted it, but somehow the coverage units were taking forever to get down there, allowing Dante Pettis to have a 53-yard punt return, already in field goal range.

3:34 PM: S Grant Delpit nearly intercepted an underthrown pass on first down, but Moreau came back to help break up the pass. DT Dalvin Tomlinson was flagged for encroachment on the next play, giving the Saints five free yards. Kamara then broke free after having been bottled up for awhile, getting down to the 12 yard line. Hill came on and kept it, breaking a tackle again to gain 6 yards. On 2nd-and-4 from the 6 yard line, Kamara ran it down to the 2 yard line for a first down. Two plays later, a playaction pass found Johnson for a touchdown and a 28-14 lead with just 6:04 to go.

3:44 PM: The Browns needed to score two touchdowns in a short time, so moving quick was imperative, and they got that with a 23-yard pass up the right sideline to Tillman. A couple plays later, on 3rd-and-10, Winston hit Moore on the slant for 8 yards. They had to go for it on 4th-and-2 with under four minutes to go. Winston hit Moore on the right side to extend the drive, now to the 26 yard line. The Browns couldn’t finish the drive, though, ending with a couple of incomplete passes and a turnover on downs.

3:52 PM: The feast-or-famine with Hill continued, as he took the snap again and ran it to the left for a 75-yard touchdown, making it a 35-14 game. Remember, this game was tied heading to the fourth quarter.

4:00 PM: The Browns didn’t try to advance it and punted the ball away, as the Saints then kneeled it out after that to end the game.

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Quick Hitters

• QB Jameis Winston: 30-of-46 for 395 yards, 2 TD.
• RB Nick Chubb: 10 carries, 51 yards (5.1 YPC).
• WR Jerry Jeudy: 6 catches, 142 yards, 1 TD.
• TE David Njoku: 9 catches, 81 yards.
• CB Denzel Ward: 1 interception, 1 forced fumble.