Saints hang on in overtime with 2-point stop, beating Shedeur Sanders-led Browns

Tyler Shough hit Juwan Johnson for an overtime touchdown pass, and New Orleans' defense barely held on late in a 23-22 victory over the Shedeur Sanders-led Cleveland Browns.Sanders, starting for an injured Deshaun Watson, led the Browns to a touchdown on the ensuing overtime drive, with Harold Fannin Jr. breaking multiple tackles on the 39-yard catch-and-run. The Browns went for the 2-point conversion and the win, but Sanders' pass fell incomplete.The Saints move to 3-5. The Browns have lost two straight and are now 5-4.Shough completed 21-of-35 passes for 265 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 51 yards. Sanders, making his first start since last season, threw for 297 yards — the second-highest total of his career — and two TDs on 19-of-31 passing. He also had a career-high 10 rush attempts for 28 yards. Both quarterbacks were sacked five times apiece.The Saints, coming off their bye, moved the ball early but had trouble finishing drives. The game was tied, 3-3, after an ugly first half, and it was 6-6 at the end of the third quarter. The biggest play of the first half was the Saints' Kaden Elliss stoning Browns running back Quinshon Judkins on fourth-and-goal from New Orleans’ 1-yard line after Sanders appeared to turn the wrong direction on the handoff.Shedeur Sanders stumbles as he hands the ball off to Quinshon Judkins on 4th and goal. The Saints defense sniffs it out immediately and keep him out of the endzone. pic.twitter.com/QeeIowZNLj— The Goal Line Grind (@theGLgrind) November 8, 2026 Kicker Charlie Smyth, who was 3-for-4 on field-goal tries Sunday, gave the Saints a 9-6 lead with just over five minutes left in the game. On the next play from scrimmage, Sanders hit KC Concepcion for a 64-yard touchdown pass. The ball was slightly underthrown, but Concepcion — who left the game briefly before the big play with injury — waited for it and did the rest after the catch.SHEDEUR TO KC CONCEPCION 64-YARD TD FOR THE LEAD!CLEvsNO on CBS/Paramount+Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Zs6x4Ko8SO— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026 Earlier, Sanders hit Denzel Boston on another underthrown deep ball.DENZEL BOSTON MOSSED HIM pic.twitter.com/ZZdzSZtnpj— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026 After punting on fourth-and-3 on their prior possession, the Saints got the ball back and took a 16-13 lead with 58 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter as Audric Estime plunged in for New Orleans' first touchdown of the game. The Saints had been 0-for-3 in TD attempts in the red zone prior to that, losing a fumble and kicking two field goals. The fumble came on rookie wide receiver Jordyn Tyson's first NFL catch in his debut game, losing the ball at the Cleveland 1-yard line.The Saints also missed a field goal in the first quarter and lost a fumble when rookie Barion Brown coughed the ball up trying to do too much on a punt return.Sanders led the Browns on a game-tying drive at the end of regulation, with kicker Andre Szmyt hitting a 51-yard field goal, his seventh straight make from 50-plus yards.In overtime, Shough and Sanders made big throws. But Shough was just a hair better, and the Saints' defense got the big stop it needed on the 2-point try.