Browns vs. Saints: Week 11 Need to Know

It’s a battle in the Big Easy between two teams struggling through disappointing seasons. Here is everything you need to know!

The Cleveland Browns put the bye week in the rearview mirror on Sunday as they head south to take on the New Orleans Saints.

The Browns hit the bye week fresh off another disappointing loss, this time to the Los Angeles Chargers. That loss essentially ended any realistic hope of making the playoffs and put the club in consideration for the No. 1 overall selection in the 2025 NFL Draft.

The Saints, on the other hand, enter the weekend fresh off their signature win of the season over their “big rivals” the Atlanta Falcons. Despite that win, the Saints are in the same boat as the Browns in hoping to ride out the rest of the season with a few positive notes before it is all said and done.

The game marks Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston’s return to New Orleans. Winston spent four mostly forgettable seasons with the Saints before arriving in Cleveland as a free agent.

This is a game that is hard to get excited about, but there is no doubt that by kickoff on Sunday everyone will be ready to see if the Browns can add another victory to the win column.

To help prepare for that, here is everything you need to know about Cleveland’s first trip to New Orleans, a place that has been kind to them over the years, since 2018.

Game Info

Records: Cleveland is 2-7. New Orleans is 3-7.

Kickoff: 1 p.m.

Stadium: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, La.

TV: FOX

Announcers: Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma and Jen Hale (sideline reporter)

Radio: 850 ESPN Cleveland, 92.3 The Fan WKRK, 98.5 WNCX, 89.1 FM La Mega (Español)

Announcers: Andrew Siciliano, Nathan Zegura, and Je’Rod Cherry (sideline reporter)

Last meeting: The Saints won the last meeting, 17-10, in Week 16 of the 2022 season.

First meeting: The Browns won the first meeting, 42-7, on October 1, 1967.

All-time series: The Browns lead the all-time series, 13-6. While they have not won in New Orleans since 2010, Cleveland is 8-3 all-time on the road against the Saints

Weather: The Saints play in a dome, so weather is not an issue.

Uniform: The Browns are going clean with white jerseys and white pants:

Injury report: Browns – Out: Defensive tackle Mike Hall Jr (knee). Saints – Out: Guard Lucas Patrick (ankle), and running back Jamaal Williams (groin). Questionable: Linebacker Pete Werner (hand), safety J.T. Gray (hip), center Erik McCoy (groin), cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry (hamstring), wide receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. (shoulder), and linebacker Nephi Sewell (knee).

The line: Browns are -1 to +1.5 on the various betting apps.

News and Notes

• The Saints completed five passes of 20 or more yards in their game last week against the Atlanta Falcons, while the Browns allowed touchdown passes of 66 yards and 28 yards in their most-recent game against the Los Angeles Chargers, according to ESPN.
• Cleveland quarterback Jameis Winston has thrown five interceptions in his past four starts.
• After catching just three passes for nine yards in the first six games of the season, Cleveland wide receiver Cedric Tillman has 21 receptions for 255 yards in the past three games.
• Tillman also now leads the Browns with three touchdowns.
• The Browns have the third-best quarterback pressure rate in the NFL, but New Orleans quarterback Derek Carr has a 91.8 passer rating under pressure, which is sixth in NFL, with four touchdowns and two interceptions, according to clevelandbrowns.com.
• This week’s game poster:

• New Orleans defensive coordinator Joe Woods is up to his old tricks as the Saints defense enters the week ranked No. 24 in scoring, No. 28 in total yards, No. 27 in rushing yards, and No. 29 in passing yards.
• Cleveland continues to have trouble running the ball as the running backs are in the bottom of the league in yards per carry and success rate. Nick Chubb has yet to find his groove after returning from his knee injury as almost 36 percent of his carries have been for no gain or a loss, according to ESPN.
• The last time these teams met was on Christmas Eve in 2022, with a temperature of 6 degrees at kickoff, making it the coldest regular-season game in Browns history. Cleveland used its “outdoor home field advantage” that day to lose to a Saints team that plays its home games in a dome.

In Case You Missed It

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Scouting the New Orleans Saints with our Q&A with Canal Street Chronicles

NFL Picks Week 11, and media picks for Browns vs. Saints – Everyone loves Cleveland?

Browns season: One word to describe your feelings about the team this year

The Red Zone play the Browns should be using – and aren’t

Browns vs. Saints: Week 11 TV Map

Browns vs Saints: 3 players who can change Week 11’s outcome

Browns vs. Saints: Cleveland’s X-factor on offense

Browns season: Best case, worst case the rest of 2024

Browns: 7 players who should see more action after the bye

Jedrick Wills proves his doubters right, leads to benching

Jameis Winston to remain QB1 for the Browns until he is not

Browns vs. Saints: Where Cleveland’s defense needs to step up the most

Interview with the Enemy: Cleveland Browns (Canal Street Chronicles)

Key matchups for Saints vs. Browns (Canal Street Chronicles)

A Final Quote

Head coach Kevin Stefanski on quarterback Jameis Winston’s decision-making (quote via a team-provided transcript):

“I think it’s important that all of our players understand their role in our success. Jameis has played a lot of football in this league. He understands what it takes to win. He understands, obviously taking care of the ball is paramount to what we do. He also is a player that can make throws down the field, and you want to just make sure that you’re always being smart, but you’re not just being conservative for the sake of being conservative.”

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What are you looking for from the Browns in Sunday’s game against the Saints?