The Saints are a dome team that doesn’t often have to play in frigid cold conditions.
But with sub-zero wind chills on the shores of Lake Erie in Cleveland on Sunday, the Saints came away with a 17-10 victory over the Browns to stay alive in the chase for the NFC South title.
New Orleans was down 10-0 midway through the second quarter. But the team scored 17 unanswered points to come back and win.
Wil Lutz got the Saints on the board with a 23-yard field goal as time expired in the first half. Then on the first drive of the second half, New Orleans drove down the field and scored on an 8-yard run by Taysom Hill to tie the game 10-10.
Safety Dan Sorensen intercepted a Deshaun Watson pass late in the third quarter, which led to Alvin Kamara putting in the go-ahead score with a 4-yard run.
The Browns had a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter with four plays from New Orleans’ 15-yard line. But three Watson passes fell incomplete before Watson was sacked on fourth down to seal the loss.
Watson ended up throwing 31 passes — far too many for a game in those conditions. He completed only 15 of them for 135 yards with an interception. He had three carries for 24 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown run.
Nick Chubb had 24 carries for 92 yards, but Kareem Hunt had just 8 yards on seven carries.
Hill was particularly effective running it and he didn’t attempt a pass. He finished with nine carries for 56 yards. Kamara had 76 yards on 20 carries plus a pair of catches for 34 yards.
Andy Dalton was just 8-of-15 passing for 92 yards with an interception.
With the victory, the Saints have won back-to-back games for the first time in 2022 and stay alive in the NFC South race.
The 6-9 Browns have been eliminated from postseason contention with their loss.
