Game notes: New Orleans Saints 35, Cleveland Browns 14 | 2024 NFL Week 11

Taysom Hill tallies 230 all-purpose yards and is the first player with three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards and one pass completion in a game since 1971

Nov 17, 2024 at 08:53 PM

• The New Orleans Saints secured their fourth win of the season over the Cleveland Browns 35-14 on Sunday. Following a Week 12 bye, they will return to action on Dec. 1, when they host the Los Angeles Rams at the Caesars Superdome. Kickoff is at 3:05 p.m. CT and the contest will be regionally televised on FOX (broadcast locally on WVUE-8).

• New Orleans improved its regular season record against the Browns to 7-13 and evened up its record against Cleveland at the Caesars Superdome to 4-4.

• Dating to a Sept. 18, 2018, 20-18 win over the Browns at the Superdome, the Sunday's win gives the Black and Gold a three-game winning streak against Cleveland, matching a prior three-game winning streak against the Browns in the series from Oct. 28, 1984-Oct. 14, 1990.

• The win evened up New Orleans' home record in 2024 to 3-3. All-time, the win improved its home regular season record to 224-223-1.

• Interim head coach Darren Rizzi improved to 2-0, joining Sean Payton (2006) as the only two Saints head coaches to win their first two games.

• Sunday's win improves the Saints' record to 2-1 in November. This marks the first winning record by New Orleans in the month of November since the team went 5-0 in 2020, also the first time since that season the team has won multiple games in November.

• The Saints gained a season-high 473 yards. New Orleans out-rushed the Browns 214-66, setting a season-high for total rushing yards.

• Quarterback Derek Carr led New Orleans to back-to-back wins for the second time this season. He finished 21 of 27 for 248 yards with two touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a 129.6 passer rating. Carr also had eight rushing yards on a scramble for a first down.

• Carr improved his record as a starter against the Browns to 5-1 and extended the winning streak against Cleveland to five games.

• Carr now has 255 career touchdown passes, surpassing Joe Flacco and Pro Football Hall of Fame signal-caller Dan Fouts (Class of 1993) all-time, and is now in a tie for 22nd in league history with Pro Football Hall of Fame passer Sonny Jurgensen (Class of 1983).

• Carr's two touchdown strikes were to Saints wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling and tight end Juwan Johnson. Carr and Valdes-Scantling connected on 71-yard bomb, and Carr extended the lead as he threw it to Johnson for the 1-yard score.

• The last time the Saints had two straight games with pass plays of 60-plus yards was in 2014 when quarterback Drew Brees connected with wide receiver Joe Morgan for 62 yards vs. Baltimore on Nov. 24 and wide receiver Kenny Stills had a 69-yard touchdown grab from Brees on Nov. 30, at Pittsburgh. The last individual to have receptions over 60 yards in consecutive games was running back Reggie Bush (2006), when he had a 74-yard reception vs. San Francisco on Dec. 3 and a 61-yard touchdown grab at Dallas on Dec. 10.

• Tight end Taysom Hill contributed significantly on offense and on special teams. He went one of two for 18 yards and an interception, but surpassed his career-high in receptions with eight grabs for 50 yards and carried seven times for a career-high 138 yards (career-high 19.7 avg.) with three touchdowns, to tie a career-high. Hill finished with a career-high 188 yards from scrimmage. With a 42-yard kickoff return, the longest kickoff return of the season for the Saints, Hill finished with a career-high 230 all-purpose yards.

• With Hill's three touchdowns Sunday to increase his career total to 44, he surpassed Pierre Thomas in the club record books, moving into sole possession of ninth place. He also played in his 104th career game Sunday, moving into a tie for 52nd on the club's all-time games played list with defensive lineman/linebacker Renaldo Turnbull.

• Hill became the first player with three rushing touchdowns, 50 receiving yards and one pass completion in a game since former Kansas City Chiefs running back Ed Podolak on Nov. 25, 1971 at Detroit.

• Running back Alvin Kamara continued to be productive in the Saints backfield with 16 carries for 67 yards while adding four receptions for 22 yards. With 1,225 yards from scrimmage on the season, he surpassed the 1,160 yards he reached in 2023.

• With his 67 rushing yards, he now has 6,611 for his career, surpassing former Saints teammate Latavius Murry, Le'Veon Bell, and Lawrence McCutcheon to move into 78th in NFL record books for all-time career rushing yards.

• With his 22 receiving yards Sunday, he surpassed John L. Williams and moved into 15th in the NFL record books for career running back receiving yards (4,642).

• Kamara played in his 112th career regular season game Sunday and moved into a tie for 36th on the club's all-time list for games played with tight end Josh Hill, currently a pro scout with the club.

• In addition to Hill, the tight end duo of tight end Foster Moreau and Johnson contributed to the passing attack. Moreau recorded three receptions for 50 yards (16.7 avg.) and Johnson tallied three receptions for 30 yards (10.0 avg.) with the one-yard touchdown.

• Wide receiver Dante Pettis set a career-high in punt return yards with 54 and had a career-long punt return with his 53-yarder that set up Johnson's 1-yard touchdown grab.

• Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee is now the team-leader with 5.5 sacks in 2024. With his 1.5 sacks Sunday, he surpassed his rookie total in 2023 of 4.5 and set a career-high 11 games into the season.

• Linebacker Demario Davis led the defensive effort with a club-best and season-high 13 tackles (three solo), including one stop for loss and added two pass breakups.

• With 10 tackles in last Sunday's win over Atlanta, Sunday's 13-stop effort by Davis marked the first time as a Saint he had at least ten tackles in back-to-back contests. Davis also surpassed the 750 mark for tackles as a Saint with his 13-tackle effort (754).

• Davis also played in his 108th game as a Saint and moved into a tie for 42nd all-time in Saints record books for games played with K John Carney and RB Dalton Hilliard.

• Defensive end Cameron Jordan played in his 220th career regular season game and moved into sole possession of 20th place in games played among NFL defensive linemen past Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle John Randle (Class of 2010) and stalwart defensive tackle Jeff Zgonina, recording three tackles, one quarterback hit and one pass defense.

• Defensive ends Carl Granderson and Chase Young contributed to the sack total. Granderson recorded one takedown and Young also had a split-sack against the Browns.

• Punter Matthew Hayball punted three times for 110 yards (36.7 gross avg), including all three downed inside the 20-yard line.

• Kicker Blake Grupe drilled all five extra points, increasing his club-best point total to 75.

• Linebacker Anfernee Orji led the special teams units with two stops.

• Defensive back J.T. Gray recorded one special teams stop to reach 19 for the season, tying his career-high first set in 2021.

Photos: Game Action | Saints vs. Browns | 2024 NFL Week 11

Check out the game action photos from the New Orleans Saints game against the Cleveland Browns for Week 11 of the 2024 NFL Season on Nov. 17, 2024 at Caesars Superdome.

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TE Taysom Hill (7) runs for a 33-yard touchdown during the New Orleans Saints game against the Cleveland Browns for Week 11 of the 2024 NFL Season on Nov. 17, 2024 at Caesars Superdome.