The storyline of Jameis Winston returning to New Orleans to face his former team and the head coach who preferred Derek Carr to be his starting quarterback has lost its steam after Dennis Allen was fired on November 4. Winston returning to the Superdome is still a big storyline, but watching to see if interim head coach Darren Rizzi can lead the Saints to another victory will be what everybody is paying attention to on Sunday.
New Orleans ended their seven-game losing streak when they defeated division rival the Atlanta Falcons 20-17 in Week 10. With another home game before heading into the bye week, the Saints will look to build momentum off of last week’s victory when they face the Cleveland Browns. Here’s our game preview for Sunday’s game.
The Return of Erik McCoy
Sunday’s matchup with Cleveland will be the return of starting center Erik McCoy. The All-Pro talent had not seen the field since Week 3 when he left the game after suffering a groin injury. McCoy would be placed on the injured reserves list and miss the Saints’ next eight games.
“Should be good to go. I thought we did the right thing here the last couple of weeks with his volume in practice, amped it up a little bit every day, and he looks like he’s ready to go,” said Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi. “Unless we have a setback between now and Sunday, I imagine he’d be in there.”
Browns Scouting Report
Head Coach: Kevin Stefanksi
QB: Jameis Winston
Record: 3-7
This is not the current landscape the Cleveland Browns envisioned when they kicked off their 2024 season. Cleveland is coming off a year where they qualified for a postseason berth, and the expectation was that they would build off their success from 2023. But so far, it has been the exact opposite of what the Browns had in mind for 2024. Cleveland started the year by winning only one of their first five games. They lost their starting QB, Deshaun Watson, to a season-ending injury in the Week 7 matchup against the Bengals. The following week, Jameis Winston provided a spark when the Browns defeated the Baltimore Ravens 29-24.
After the win over Baltimore, optimism was growing around the idea of the Browns turning around their season with Winston under center. In the Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Browns fans got their first look at the “Jameis Experience.” The Chargers would go on to defeat the Browns 27-10. Winston would throw for 235 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. That’s what “Jameis Experience” is all about.
Winston produces like a perennial all-pro passer one week, followed by a multiple-turnover game. Coming off a bye week, Cleveland will attempt to salvage what’s left of their 2024 campaign. If the losing continues for Cleveland, they will likely put themselves in a situation where they may have to select a quarterback in 2025. With the enormous amount of dead money owed to Watson, the Browns could be in a difficult situation if they decide to move on. Watson’s cap hit for 2025 is $72.935 million.
Key Matchups to Watch
The Saints Rush Defense vs. the Browns’ Offensive Line
The Browns offensive line has given up the most sacks out of any unit this season. However, New Orleans has struggled most of the year regarding sacking the quarterback. They showed signs of life in last week’s game with the Falcons when they sacked Kirk Cousins three times.
Derek Carr vs. the Browns Pass Defense
Can Saints quarterback Derek Carr have a repeat performance of what he did last week against the Falcons? Carr completed 16 of 25 passes for 269 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions. The performance was Carr’s best outing since the Week 2 defeat of the Dallas Cowboys. However, the biggest takeaway from last week’s performance was that Carr could be productive without two of his best wide receivers, Chris Olave and Rasheed Shahid. The newly signed wideout Marquez Valdez-Scantling had his best outing with the team when he caught three receptions for 109 yards and received Carr’s two touchdown passes. Carr will be facing a Browns defense ranked 13th against the pass.
Alvin Kamara vs. the Entire Browns Defense
Alvin Kamara is having one of his best seasons as a running back for the New Orleans Saints. He has rushed for 715 yards and caught 51 passes for 421 receiving yards. With seven games remaining, Kamara could achieve his first-ever 1,000-yard season. Will he be able to put stress on a Browns unit that is ranked 15th in total defense? Don’t be surprised if he can despite the personnel that are members of the Browns defense. Kamara is known for being a threat in every aspect of the Saints’ arsenal on offense.
Score Prediction
The Saints will be 2-0 under interim head coach Darren Rizzi as they head into a much-needed bye week.
Browns 20, Saints 27
