For a good while on Sunday afternoon, it felt like the New Orleans Saints (1-1) were about to take a tough loss at home to the Cleveland Browns (0-1-1) and snap their lengthy losing streak in the process. Thankfully, they were able to come away with a 21-18 win thanks to a combination of clutch kicking by Wil Lutz and not so clutch kicking by Zane Gonzalez.
Speaking of Gonzalez, he was able to get the Browns their first points of the ballgame after they recovered a fumble by Michael Thomas. That helped set up a 39-yarder to get Cleveland out in front.
The Saints were marching down the field, but a holding penalty on Tre’Quan Smith nullified a touchdown for Alvin Kamara and forced them to kick a 31-yard field goal to even things up with 2:52 left in the first quarter.
Gonzalez gave the Browns a 6-3 lead headed into the half with another 39-yard field goal. Things kept going in favor of Cleveland with a solid drive to open up the second that was capped off by a one-yard run into the endzone by Carlos Hyde to make it 12-3, but the point after went just to the left and was no good.
The score remained that way until early in the fourth quarter when Drew Brees connected with Michael Thomas on a two-yard pass to cut the lead down to two points. Later in the fourth quarter, Marcus Williams intercepted Tyrod Taylor and was able to get the Saints into the redzone. Four plays later, Brees found Thomas in the endzone to give them an 18-12 lead.
It didn’t last long though as Taylor connected with Antonio Callaway, who was filling in for Josh Gordon as he is set to be released on Monday, on an absolute bomb to tie things up. However, Gonzalez missed his second extra point on the afternoon.
The Saints weren’t about to allow this ballgame to go to overtime and went on a quick march down the field that ended with a 44-yard field goal by Lutz.
The Browns quickly got into field goal range thanks to a pair of solid passes by Taylor. However, Gonzalez wound up kicking it wide right to wrap up the Saints first win of the 2018 season.
New Orleans will hit the road next Sunday when they take on the Atlanta Falcons (1-1) with kickoff set for 12 pm.
-Clint Domingue