FULL BOX SCORE

Nick Shook’s findings:

1. Taysom carries the day. We had seen it Taysom Hill‘s role in New Orleans has evolved since the departure of Sean Payton, so much so that he no longer attempted passes and was used more as a runner and/or blocker than anything else. That meant Sunday was the perfect situation for the Saints to use Hill in a number of roles against a notoriously aggressive Jim Schwartz-directed defense and see Hill work. The Swiss Army Knife did a little bit of everything, amassing a career-high 138 rushing yards on seven carries and scoring three times on the ground. He tallied eight catches for 50 yards, marking the first time he had surpassed 100 yards rushing and 50 yards receiving in a game in his career. And he even threw an interception, which ultimately amounted to nothing more than the entire Taysom Hill Experience. Another day, vet.
2. Browns’ defense falls apart. Yes, the Browns broke 400 yards of offense and managed just 14 points. Yes, Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals (three, if you count the miss negated by a defensive holding penalty). But the ugliest part of Cleveland’s latest loss came on the defensive end, where Browns defenders could be seen flailing (or in the case of Juan Thornhillchasing a long touchdown pass by jogging his way to the end zone). The Browns led the NFL in arm tackles on Sunday and became nothing more than Hill’s roadkill after his three rushing scores. Despite forcing two turnovers, Cleveland collapsed in the fourth quarter, making it possible Derek Carr to lead three touchdown drives, including two of 77 or more yards. It was disheartening to say the least in the midst of a hugely disappointing campaign, and while this game alone won’t bring about change, in the case of these staff it certainly isn’t a good example of keeping their jobs until 2025.
3. The transgression of the saints rediscovers its rhythm. It really started with Carr’s return two weeks ago, but Sunday marked the first time New Orleans went back to basics to lay a foundation and then work all sorts of wrinkles into it to get the job done consistently over four quarters. Hill clearly played a big role, but so did an early burst on the ground Alvin Kamaraas well as a catch-and-run touchdown scored by Marquez Valdes-Scantling (his third in two games). Carr was sharp and avoided taking significant risks while completing 21 of 27 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns. The Saints ran the ball well, remained unpredictable and used a bevy of pass catchers, creating a very strong unit that helped New Orleans post their best performance since Week 2. Due to their 4-7 record, that is not the case. mean a lot in the long run, but it was nice to see the team that calls the Big Easy home have a fun Sunday.

Next-gen metrics insight for Browns-Saints (via NFL Pro): Derek Carr split the Browns on Sunday, going a perfect 5 for 5 for 117 yards and two touchdowns against the blitz, and a perfect 8 for 8 on attempts against man coverage for 58 yards, a touchdown and a completion percentage of +22.9 above expected .

NFL Research: With Sunday’s win, Darren Rizzi became the Saints’ first interim coach to win two games in a season, and also became the second coach in franchise history to win his first two games at the helm, joining Sean Payton, who played in 2006 started 3-0. .