Winners and losers from the Browns’ 35-14 loss to the Saints

Loser: Dustin Hopkins

Kickers do their job, and games are won that way. Heck, the Steelers claimed the AFC North’s top spot Sunday after Chris Boswell converted all six field goal attempts for all of his team’s points in an 18-15 win over the Ravens.

But down in New Orleans on Sunday, for Cleveland, the tables turned.

Toward the end of the first half with a little under seven minutes left, he missed a 51-yarder. He had drained all eight kicks from 50-59 yards last season.

Then he missed a 32-yard field goal on a fourth down with 11 seconds left in the first half, but a holding penalty was called on New Orleans, giving Cleveland a fresh set of downs.

Four plays later, he missed a 27-yarder as time expired in the first half.

Over and over was a missed kick. Hopkins has been reliable ever since he joined the Browns, but he has some soul searching to do ahead of Thursday night’s game against Pittsburgh.

Winner: Denzel Ward

The Pro Bowl cornerback played like he wants to add an All-Pro selection to his resume.

Ward entered Sunday leading the league in passes defended (15), but he had spoken about the secondary’s struggle to come up with interceptions, having tied with the Giants for fewest interceptions (one).

“I should have had some for sure. I should have had some. I got to find a way to come away with ‘em, so I don’t know the exact number, but I got to find a way to get ‘em, though,” Ward said.

Coming into the weekend, the Browns were tied with Las Vegas for the fewest amount of takeaways (five), but their total increased on Sunday thanks to Ward.

The first play of New Orleans’ series right after Cleveland scored their first touchdown, Ward came up with an interception on a pass from Derek Carr to Marquez Valdes-Scantling.

Later in the first half, the Saints were moving deep into the red zone, when Ward stripped a reception made by Taysom Hill, which he then recovered.

Ward was the best defensive player for the Browns on Sunday.

Loser: Browns tackling

Cleveland entered Sunday 31st in overall tackle grading (35.3), with linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah leading the team in missed tackles (14) despite having not played since Week 8, per Pro Football Focus.

Sunday was another indicator of what the data showed.

The Browns allowed the Saints 214 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, and below are two examples in which they didn’t tackle:

Maybe the more apparent example, and an early cherry on top ahead of the final result, was Hill’s 33-yard score in the early part of the fourth period.

Once Hill breaks past the line of scrimmage, you see Jordan Hicks diving for Hill a little in front of the 30-yard line. That was unsuccessful. Then it’s Grant Delpit’s turn around the 25-yard line, but he leans in with his shoulder compared to a full wrap around some part of Hill’s body. His attempt was also unsuccessful.

Hill then left Rodney McLeod and Devin Bush in the dust.

As though the game wasn’t decided by that point, Hill would record a hat trick in the area of rushing touchdowns on Sunday.

A little bit before the two-minute warning, the Saints decided to run what was pretty much the same play, but going into the opposite direction.

Once the ball was snapped and he ran, Hicks saw and dove a slight second late. A still-shot shows Juan Thornhill and Mohamoud Diabate trying to catch up to him near the sideline.

Diabate could’ve timed a potential tackle instead of deferring to attempting a strip fumble, especially as Hill was building his momentum after turning the corner. That was unsuccessful, and Hill’s 75-yard score was his third on the day.

Loser: The Kadarius Toney jet sweep

Your offense had just scored off a deep pass towards the end of the first quarter. Then a defensive takeaway brings your offense back on the field with 98 seconds left in the period, and Jameis Winston finds David Njoku for 17 yards on the series’ first play.

So why on the very next play, are you handing the ball to receiver Kadarius Toney, who hasn’t played a down since Week 15 of last season with Kansas City, in jet motion? The result was a negative-7-yard run from Toney, and helped lead to a Browns punt.

Toney had been on the active roster and hadn’t been used. It was odd to choose that moment and that play call to use him.

Winner: Joe Woods

The former Browns defensive coordinator was let go after the 2022 season concluded, then was hired by New Orleans sometime afterwards in February of 2023 Jim Schwartz replaced him with the Browns, and the rest was history for the 2023 season.

Sunday was a chance for revenge from Woods’ side.

His Saints defense held Cleveland’s run game to 66 yards, and forced Cleveland to beat them in the passing game, which didn’t happen.

Woods 1, Browns 0.

Loser: Finishing

Despite entering the weekend ranked 21st in points allowed (23.7), the Browns ranked first in fewest fourth-quarter points allowed (3.0).

Cleveland’s defense really hadn’t recorded a game this season where it has played great from beginning to end. Either they’d start off strong then fall off, or the other way around.

The closest to accomplishing this was in the Week 8 win over Baltimore, and there was a chance they’d add Week 11 to the list.

Instead, they crumbled when it mattered most, allowing 21 straight points in the fourth quarter.

Of New Orleans’ 148 net yards in the fourth quarter, 138 of it came off the run. Hill recorded 117 of his 138 rushing yards, and two of his three touchdowns, in that quarter alone.

This NFL’s best defense in 2023 is playing like a shell of itself. Something’s got to give.