Takeaways: Questionable Decisions Contribute in Loss

The Cleveland Browns had an excellent opportunity to return from a three-game road trip, 6-3. Instead, the Browns dropped a 23-22 decision to the Saints in overtime, for the Browns' second straight loss to fall to 5-4.

Todd Monken had several questionable decisions that contributed to the Browns one-point loss. Here they are as I see them:

Quarterback Decision 

Despite getting cleared form concussion protocol, quarterback Deshaun Watson was inactive, clearing the path for quarterback Shedeur Sanders to start his first game of the season. 

Last week, right tackle Tytus Howard started over Dawand Jones after not getting cleared until the day before the Steelers game after Jones practiced all week, and Howard has certainly not played very well. Besides Howard, wide receiver KC Concepcion and safety Grant Delpit started and played after being cleared from the concussion protocol by Saturday. 

Despite three other Browns players that were cleared before a game this season, Monken chose not to play Watson, saying it was different for the quarterback because of not getting the practice reps.

The Browns entered the game 5-3 and had a chance to stay in the race for the AFC North, and despite having Watson available to him, Monken decided to go with Sanders and make Dillon Gabriel the backup, not Watson. 

Sanders entered the game just 3-of-3 for two yards this season.

Sanders played pretty well in the second half, but playing the backup quarterback when your team is 5-3 and the starter is available leads to second guessing.

Take the Points

The Browns offense was clearly not moving the ball in the first half, and the special teams made a big play when Adin Huntington stripped the ball from Barion Brown, and Donovan McMillon recovered on the Saints’ 19. 

The Browns picked up a first down and had first-and-goal at the nine. 

Sanders was sacked on the first down back to the 15. Quinshon Judkins ran 11 yards to the three. On the third and goal, Sanders ran for two yards to the one. On fourth-and-goal from the one, Judkins was piled up at the line after colliding with Austin Barber for no gain, and the Browns came away with no points in a 3-3 game. Sometimes, just because you want a touchdown does not mean you’re able to get one, especially in a close game. 

Do not always be Aggressive

Early in the fourth quarter, the Browns opted to go for a first down on fourth-and-two at the Saints’ 42. The Browns had punted on fourth-and-7 and had the Saints at their own 10-yard line. Monken took the penalty to make it fourth-and-two and opted to go for the first down with the game tied at 6-6. 

Under heavy pressure, Sanders threw the ball incomplete, and the Saints had the ball on the Saints' 42. The Saints moved into position for a field goal to take a 9-6 lead. 

Going for Two in Overtime

When the Browns scored on a 39-yard touchdown by Harold Fannin with 1:00 left in overtime, the Browns could have kicked the extra point and tied the game at 23-23.

However,  Monken said after the game, since there was a minute or so left in overtime and the Saints had two timeouts, his choice was to win the game with a two-point conversion or take a chance on a tie if he opted to kick the extra point and trusted the defense would prevent the Saints from scoring. 

You can credit Monken for his aggressiveness on the road, but the Browns had not been able to convert in the red zone throughout the game. The Browns were 0-of-2 in the red zone on scoring touchdowns. The Browns had the ball on the one-yard line and did not score, and they also had the ball first-and-goal from the three-yard line and settled for a field goal. 

The Browns had to have a 'surefire' two-point play saved for that type of situation, and whatever was called turned into Sanders running around and trying to throw to Boston,Boston which was an incomplete.

If there was a better play, do it, but a 5-3-1 record would be better than 5-4. 

Collapse of the Defense

In the five games the Browns have won, the formula has been for the defense to keep the opponents close to give the offense a chance to win close games and to finish out games when needed. The Browns were supposed to get back on track against the lowly Saints rushing offense, which came into the game ranked 28th in the NFL, averaging just 86.0 yards a game. 

The Saints rushed for 160 yards and finished with 396 yards of offense. 

Running back Audric Estime, who the Browns cut last week, was the leading rusher with 72 yards on 15 carries (4.8 avg.) He scored the touchdown to give the Saints a 16-13 lead with 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter. 

Despite holding the Saints to just three field goals and no touchdowns, the defense gave up two touchdowns, the first with just 58 seconds to play in regulation and the second on the Saints' lone drive in overtime. 

Carson Schwesinger set career highs for tackles (15) and sacks (2), while adding one forced fumble.

Shedeur Sanders Day

After a slow first half, Shedeur Sanders had a big second half, leading the Browns to 19 points in the second half, 22 overall. After having just 38 yards at the half, Sanders finished the game 19-of-31 for 297 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. His QB rating was 114.6. He also rushed 10 times for 28 yards, including a long of 11 yards. Sanders was sacked five times. 

Sanders had success with the long ball as he threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KC Concepcion, and a 60-yard pass to Denzel Boston to set up a field goal.

He also had a 39-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin and a 30-yard pass to Jerry Jeudy.

Not Using Harold Fannin

Harold Fannin, the Browns' leading receiver, did not have a catch until the overtime period. On the touchdown drive, Fannin had his first catch of three yards. He then took a short pass and rambled 39 yards, breaking three tackles on the touchdown that set up the failed two-point conversion. 

Last week, Fannin had 10 receptions for 154 yards and was the Browns leading receiver with 35 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns. His 37-yard catch against the Titans set up a game-winning field goal. 

Young Duo Play Big

Rookie wide receivers Denzel Boston and KC Concepcion combined for 10 catches and 183 yards and a touchdown. 

Boston had a 60-yard catch to the Saints' three-yard line that set up a field goal. Boston finished with six receptions for 98 yards. Boston’s 507 receiving yards on the season are the second-highest by a Browns rookie after the first nine weeks.

Concepcion had four catches for 85 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown, his first of the season. Concepcion injured his ankle but returned for the touchdown. The rookie WR has 37 receptions, the second-most by a Browns rookie after the first nine weeks. 

Jerry Jeudy had no receptions until late in the game and finished with two receptions for 37 yards, including a 30-yard play. 

Boston and Concepcion became the first rookie NFL WR duo to each record at least 85 receiving yards in the same game since Amari Cooper and Seth Roberts for the Raiders in 2015.

No Quick Start

The Browns were hoping for a quick start and had a total of 80 yards at halftime. The Browns entered the game as the worst first quarter team in the NFL with a point differential of -52. The Saints outscored the Browns 3-0 in the first quarter, and the Browns now have a negative point differential in the first quarter of -55.

The Saints' field goal was on their opening possession, and it was their first opening possession score of the season for a 3-0 lead. On the 51-yard drive, Estime gained 32 yards on three carries, including an 18 yard run.

In the first half, Sanders was just 5-of-8 for 38 yards with a 74.0 QB rating. He ran the ball seven times for 11 yards. His biggest play of the first half was a 16-yard screen to Dylan Sampson. He had one short throw to leading receiver, Harold Fannin, but it was wiped out by a penalty.

To be fair, Watson has not exactly lit it up in the first half of games this season,  either, but it took time for Sanders to get comfortable, and there were crucial points in the first half that Watson’s experience could have put points on the board, especially when you look at a one-point loss. 

Monken told Sanders to ‘let it rip’ but didn’t put him in situations to play to his strengths. In three of his last four drives, including overtime, Sanders led the Browns to 17 points, mostly in a hurry-up offense where Sanders was throwing the ball down the field. The Browns scored in drives of 17 seconds, 50 seconds and 3:17. 

As a rookie, Sanders started the final seven games and was 3-4 as the starter after being a fifth-round pick in 2025. He completed 56.6 percent for 1,400 yards, seven touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and a 68.1 rating.

Penalties Keep Piling Up

The Browns started with six penalties in the first quarter and finished with 10 for 58 yards, but there were some very costly penalties.

Tytus Howard committed his seventh false start to thwart the first possession. 

Tyson Campbell had an illegal contact on fourth down that gave the Saints a first down in the fourth quarter after Tyler Shough was stopped short of the first down. Instead of the Browns taking over, the Saints took the lead 9-6 with a field goal after the penalty.

Guard Zion Johnson had a holding after Judkins picked up a first down on a 13 yard run after the Browns had taken a 13-9 lead with a chance to run out the clock. After the penalty, the Browns punted back to the Saints, who scored their first touchdown of the game with 58 seconds to play.

EXTRA POINTS

Gabriel Back Up: QB Deshaun Watson was inactive after missing practice during the week with a concussion. Other inactives were: QB Taylen Green (3QB, LB Justin Jefferson, CB Noah Igbinoghene,C Parker Brailsford and DT Maliek Collins inactive.

Browns Back Home: The Browns return home to play the 3-5 Texans next Sunday at Huntington Bank Field. After that, the Browns have a bye week before playing three more home games. The Browns started the season playing 6 of 9 games on the road and now play their next four at home, where they are 3-0.