BEREA – The Browns’ final eight games begin Sunday against a team that can be seen in some ways like them.
The New Orleans Saints may not have entered the season with high hopes, but an impressive 2-0 start has them dreaming big. The only problem was that they then lost their next seven games, falling to 2-7, which led to the firing of coach Dennis Allen.
Allen’s interim replacement, special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, gave the Saints a boost of emotion last Sunday against their rival Atlanta Falcons. New Orleans, in the same way the Browns received a boost in Jameis Winston’s first start at quarterback in Week 8 against the Baltimore Ravens, rode that wave to a victory 20-17 against the Falcons.
Now the Browns (2-7) are hoping a bye week will help them heal enough to enter one of the NFL’s loudest environments and calm down a team and fan base energized by a huge win. Here are three questions the Browns will need to answer if they want to emerge from the Big Easy with a victory.
How Cleveland Browns Is QB Jameis Winston handling his return to New Orleans to face his old team, the Saints?
If you’re looking for an individual storyline for this matchup, look no further than Browns quarterback Jameis Winston, who spent the last four seasons with the Saints, starting as Drew Brees’ backup in 2020 before two seasons plagued by injuries during which he was the backup to Drew Brees. starting from time to time before handing it over entirely to Derek Carr last season.
Regardless of how Winston spent his time on the field, there is no doubt that the player and the city embraced each other. Winston has regularly spoken glowingly about his four years in New Orleans, both about how he grew as a quarterback and as a person.
Winston now returns to New Orleans, where he will no doubt receive a warm welcome, at least from the fans. Certainly, there will also be emotions felt on his part, and this is where perhaps the most worry lies.
Winston can already ride a roller coaster under normal circumstances. Add in some personal feelings, and who knows what we might see from him.
How does crossover coaching staff familiarity play out for Kevin Stefanski of the Cleveland Browns and Darren Rizzi of the New Orleans Saints?
There is no doubt that these two teams know each other. That’s because there’s a lot of crossover between the Browns and Saints coaching staffs, particularly when it comes to Browns coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stefanski’s defensive coordinator for his first three years in Cleveland, Joe Woods, is in his second season as the Saints’ defensive coordinator. This defense, however, struggled mightily, ranking 24th in scoring (24.6 points per game), 28th in total yards (385.6), 27th in rushing yards (141.0) and 29th in passing yards (244.6).
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ledger, Stefanski has all kinds of connections from his days with the Minnesota Vikings to New Orleans offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko and coach tight ends Clancy Barone. The Saints offense has been mediocre thanks to a quarterback carousel between Carr, who has battled injuries, and rookie Spencer Rattler, ranking 16th in points (22.7), total yards (334 .8) and passing (212.4), as well as 13th in rushing (122.4). ).
Of course, familiarity goes both ways. So, all those connections to Stefanski also help the Saints, and that’s where the chess match could grow.
Can the Cleveland Browns handle a New Orleans Saints team emotionally energized by a head coaching change?
Sunday’s game will be an opportunity for the Browns to either bring the Saints back to reality or breathe even more life into their season. The environment they’ll be playing in at Caesars Superdome should be bolstered by the fact that New Orleans won a week ago in Rizzi’s interim debut.
The Superdome can be one of the most intimidating places to play in the NFL when Saints fans are engaged. Stefanski knows that as well as anyone from the playoff games there while he was with the Vikings.
Things haven’t been great for much of this season for the Saints, at least between their 2-0 start and last Sunday. However, there’s nothing easy about having a visiting team play in the Big Easy, so that’s something the Browns will have to deal with if they want to win.
Chris Easterling can be reached at [email protected]. Learn more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ
This article was originally published in the Akron Beacon Journal: The Browns’ 3 big questions heading into the game against the New Orleans Saints
