It's impossible to stack a series of 1-0 weeks without posting the first one, and the New Orleans Saints did that last week against Atlanta.
Another 1-0 week is possible for New Orleans (3-7) at noon Sunday in the Caesars Superdome when it faces Cleveland (2-7) and an old friend, quarterback Jameis Winston, who was a Saint from 2020-23 and will be making his third consecutive start for the Browns.
Here are a few ways in which the Saints can make it an unpleasant visit:
1. TAKE WHAT THEY GIVE
The Saints' secondary will be on high alert, for a couple of reasons. One, New Orleans allowed 306 passing yards to Atlanta quarterback Kirk Cousins in the last game and committed a couple of pass interference penalties, and until the unit shows it can play significantly cleaner there's no reason to believe an opponent won't continue that approach. Two, Winston's history suggests that there'll be opportunities to intercept a pass or two: He threw for 334 yards and three touchdowns in his first start, with no interceptions, but had a couple of potential picks dropped; and followed with a one-touchdown, three-interception game in his next outing. He can run hot or cold, often during the same game, so the Saints must take advantage of the opportunities when they're presented. Safety Tyrann Mathieu could be in position to add to his team-leading interception total of three.
2. SLAM THE BRAKES
New Orleans allowed 181 rushing yards against the Falcons and, frankly, you're fortunate to win when you give up that many rushing yards. Partly, that helped Atlanta to a whopping 35:07 in time of possession. The missed tackles issue reared its head – unfortunately, it really hasn't gone away this season – and the Browns will test it. Linebacker Demario Davis posted a game-high 10 tackles against Atlanta and he may be in store for a similar total Sunday if the defense again is leaky against the run.
3. CHUNK IN THE TRUNK
The chunk plays on offense returned, at least for a half, against the Falcons. Quarterback Derek Carr had completions of 40 and 67 yards to Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and of 34 and 31 yards to Taysom Hill and Alvin Kamara, respectively. (And Kamara dropped what would have been a 56-yard touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter). The Browns' defense has been stingy in the passing game, giving up only 205.7 yards per game. But New Orleans must test it and stretch the field. The Saints' pass protection gets a boost this week with the return of center Erik McCoy, who has been out since the first quarter of Game 3. They'll need him against a formidable pass rush, led by defensive end Myles Garrett (seven sacks, two forced fumbles, 15 quarterback hits).
4. COMPLEMENTARY BALL
The Saints will need some passing game production because the Browns recently have been a run-stopping force. Cleveland allows 122.6 rushing yards per game this season, but that number has plummeted to 93 yards per game in the last three. New Orleans started well against the Falcons – Alvin Kamara had 37 rushing yards in the first quarter – but there was deterioration after that; Kamara finished with 55 rushing yards and the team totaled 96 on 27 carries. It'll need more against Cleveland.
5. FINISH
The Saints posted a great half against Atlanta before struggling in the last two quarters. The offense punted five of six second-half possessions, and the defense surrendered 10 points and 294 yards. But the defense produced two sacks and an interception, so it comes into the game with confidence having done that.
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