No matter who is playing quarterback, the Cleveland Browns are gonna Browns: Which in 2026 means play poorly enough in the first half to make fans pull their hair out before turning the fourth quarter into an edge-of your-seat frenzy.
This time, Cleveland couldn't carry its typical fourth-quarter magic into overtime.
Tyler Shough's 15-yard touchdown pass to tight end Juwan Johnson broke a tie game in overtime, and the New Orleans Saints later stopped the Browns on a game-deciding two-point conversion attempt for a wild 23-22 win inside Caesars Superdome.
Harold Fannin's incredible individual effort on a 39-yard catch and run to the end zone gave the Browns a chance to steal the game, but Tytus Howard's holding call as Shedeur Sanders rolled out of the pocket on the ensuing two-point try sealed their fate; Sanders' pass toward the front pylon fell incomplete.
Sanders passed for 297 yards — 272 in the second half and overtime — but it wasn't enough to get the Browns to six wins. His clutch 30-yard pass — while taking a massive shot to the ribs by Saints pass rusher Chase Young — to Jerry Jeudy on the final drive of regulation led to Andre Szmyt's 51-yard field goal that forced overtime, tied 16-16.
Here are our knee-jerk reactions to a Cleveland loss that is sure to keep stinging on Monday morning.
The Browns changed quarterbacks but couldn't escape the same exhausting formula
1. This was the full Shedeur Sanders experience, with several frustrating possessions that went nowhere — and a couple get-out-of-your-seat plays in the passing game that only one Browns quarterback brings to the table. After a slow start, Sanders hit a 60-yard bomb to Denzel Boston to set up a field goal and a 64-yard strike to KC Concepcion for the go-ahead touchdown with 5:21 remaining in regulation.
2. The first half was another slog for Cleveland. The Browns ran 30 offensive plays in the first half but netted only 80 yards, an average of 2.7 yards per play. Sanders only netted 25 passing yards in the half.
3. The Browns entered Week 9 as one of the NFL’s leaders in takeaways with 10, and they forced two critical fumbles to keep this game from spiraling away early. Linebacker Carson Schwesinger had a huge punch-out on rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson near the goal line in the second quarter. The Browns punted on their ensuing possession, but Adin Huntington dislodged the ball from Saints returner Barion Brown for a second consecutive turnover.
4. You had to be a die-hard Browns fan to enjoy the first three quarters of this football game. The game was tied 6-6 after three quarters, making it tied for the second-lowest-scoring game of the season entering a fourth quarter through nine weeks.
5. Aggression hasn’t been kind to Todd Monken this year. The Browns passed on taking a 6-3 lead in the first half on the goal line and got stuffed; Sanders bumped into pulling right guard Austin Barber as he went to hand the ball off to running back Quinshon Judkins on the play, disrupting the timing. A failed fourth-down conversion in the fourth quarter led to a go-ahead Saints field goal with under 6 minutes remaining. The Browns entered Week 9 converting fourth downs at a 36% clip, 27th in football.
6. On the injury front, Barber and Concepcion were both shaken up during the game but were able to return shortly thereafter. Concepcion initially couldn’t put weight on his right ankle but was back on the field for the Browns’ next offensive series — and later made the play that led to a late barrage of points from both teams.
Add us as a preferred source on Google