The Cleveland Browns are set to travel to Caesars Superdome to take on the New Orleans Saints in a week sixteen NFL matchup. The Browns come into the game with a record of 6-8 and currently are tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for last place in the AFC North. On the flip side, the Saints enter the contest with a record of 5-9 and are currently tied with the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers for second place in the NFC South. Along with this, they are only one game behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for first place in the division. With the divisional race being so close and the Buccaneers playing so poorly this season, this game could end up having huge implications on the division if the Saints can pull off a win. Both the Browns and the Saints have fallen a bit short of the expectations that were set for them at the beginning of the season. Despite this, there is a still a lot of talent between the two rosters, and this could end up being a very close game.
Cleveland Browns Look to Establish Offensive Attack
The postseason hopes for the Cleveland Browns have all but left. They have little to no mathematical shot of making the postseason, which is a very disappointing sign for the franchise just one year after trading for their new franchise quarterback. This season could have gone completely different for Cleveland if Deshaun Watson had been able to play the entire season, however, the Browns knew what they were getting themselves into when they made the deal. Since his return to action, Watson has appeared to be rusty to say the least. The offense has stagnated since Watson took the starting job under center. It is clear that there is still some work that needs to be done to the roster before they are truly Super Bowl contenders.
This week, they find themselves in a very winnable matchup against the New Orleans Saints. They will have to show up ready to play, and the offense will have to be clicking for the Browns to leave New Orleans with a win.
New Orleans Saints Hope to Make Last Stand For NFC South Title
As previously mentioned, despite the regular season not going as well as they hoped, the Saints are still in a very good position to make it to the postseason. They are coming off of a tight 21-18 win against the Atlanta Falcons. The Saints did an incredible job against the pass in this matchup, however, they were taken advantage of on the ground. They will have to shift gears this week as they are up against Nick Chubb, a player who could dominate the game if he is able to get the running game going.
Cleveland’s defense has played much worse than many have expected them to through this season. It is likely this will continue this week against the Saints. Despite this, this matchup likely will come down to a defensive battle.
