The Browns and Saints have both missed on opportunities to score in the first half of Sunday’s matchup, but New Orleans leads 14-6 at halftime.
Taysom Hill has been a Swiss army knife throughout the first half — throwing, catching, running, and returning kicks for New Orleans. He opened the scoring with a 10-yard touchdown run to cap the Saints’ first offensive drive.
But Hill has also committed a pair of turnovers courtesy of Cleveland corner Denzel Ward. Ward intercepted a wayward Hill pass deep down the middle — Ward’s first pick of the season.
Then Ward forced a fumble on Hill late in the first half in the red zone, recovering the loose ball to give Cleveland an extra possession.
Ward had to go to the injury tent multiple times in the first half and is officially questionable to return with a chest injury.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling scored yet another long touchdown, taking a 71-yard catch-and-run to the end zone for a touchdown to make the score 14-6 early in the second quarter. He now has three TDs in the last two games.
The Browns scored on an 89-yard touchdown pass from Jameis Winston to Jerry Jeudy. But the club stayed at six points when the Browns went for two after a penalty moved them to the 1-yard line and didn’t get it.
Kicker Dustin Hopkins missed wide left from 51 yards and would have missed from 32 yards as well, had the Saints not committed a holding penalty. But then he missed from 27 wide left, too, as time expired in the second quarter.
Browns left tackle Dawand Jones had to exit the game on a cart late in the second quarter. He had an air cast on his lower left leg after being rolled up on by teammate Wyatt Teller. With former starting left tackle Jedrick Wills inactive due to an injury, Germain Ifedi came in to replace Jones at left tackle.
Jones is officially doubtful to return with an ankle issue.
Saints tight end Foster Moreau is questionable to return with a shoulder injury.
New Orleans will receive the second-half kickoff.
