The New Orleans Saints snapped their winless streak that dated back over eight months, and ended the Browns’ lengthy undefeated stretch of 37 weeks, by taking down undefeated Cleveland this afternoon, 21-18.
Despite a 12-3 deficit entering the fourth quarter, created by two booming 39-yard field goals and a spectacular one-yard rush from the Browns, Drew Brees and his underdog offense dug deep and found confidence against their intimidating opponents in the closing stretch. With a pair of goal line touchdown passes to Michael Thomas, one with 8:45 to play and another with 2:40 remaining, Brees gave the Saints an 18-12 lead.
But as you would expect, the Cleveland Browns would not go down without a fight. With 1:16 to go, powerhouse quarterback Tyrod Taylor launched a fourth-down pass deep down the field and into the hands of Antonio Callaway. For a moment, it felt like we were witnessing another classic Browns win.
The Saints were the beneficiaries of a rare Browns mistake when kicker Zane Gonzalez missed his second extra point of the day, leaving the score tied at 18. But that one point proved to be irrelevant. Brees erased the deadlock in under a minute, leading the team down the field and into position for a game-winning 44-yard field goal from Wil Lutz, which he hit with just 26 seconds left on the clock. The Browns’ last-ditch attempt to salvage their undefeated record went wide right on a 52-yard Gonzalez kick, giving Saints fans a stunning victory they won’t soon forget.
The Browns will have to try and regain their momentum against the Jets next week.