2:02 pm | September 16, 2018 | Go to Source | Author:
NEW ORLEANS — It wasn’t anywhere close to pretty. And it wasn’t over until the Cleveland Browns missed their third kick of the game in the final seconds. But the New Orleans Saints avoided a disastrous start to the season with a 21-18 victory on Sunday.
The Saints (1-1) trailed 12-3 to start the fourth quarter. And they gave the Browns two chances to come back in the final minutes. But ultimately they won the game thanks to two fourth-quarter touchdown catches by receiver Michael Thomas, a game-changing interception by safety Marcus Williams and a clutch 44-yard field goal by kicker Wil Lutz with 26 seconds remaining.
“I’m not really happy right now. I’m glad we won … but we have a lot of work to do,” Saints coach Sean Payton said. “I said to (the players), ‘I’m encouraged we won. But let’s not kid ourselves.’
“We got the win, and I’m encouraged by that. I’m also excited to get back to the tape and make some corrections we need.”
The Saints overcame an 0-2 start last season to win the NFC South at 11-5. But this would have been an uglier start amid higher expectations. New Orleans started the year with two straight home games against two non-playoff teams from last year. According to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Saints had just a 4.5 percent chance of starting this season 0-2.
Now the Saints will gain some momentum with a game at the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.
Thomas made up for his first-quarter fumble by finishing the game with 12 catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns. And he now holds the NFL record for most catches through two weeks of the NFL season with 28.
Williams, meanwhile, made some amends himself. The second-year pro was the victim of the infamous “Minnesota Miracle” when he missed a tackle on Stefon Diggs’ 61-yard touchdown catch in the final seconds of a playoff loss at Minnesota in January. But he came up with the Saints’ first takeaway of the season late in the fourth quarter Sunday to set up Thomas’ go-ahead touchdown pass.
This game was a redemption story for the Saints’ defense overall after their hideous start to the season in last week’s 48-40 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But they didn’t get away clean.
Cleveland tied Sunday’s game 18-18 with a 47-yard touchdown pass from Tyrod Taylor to Antonio Callaway on fourth-and-5 when the Saints had a chance to ice the game. Callaway broke wide open behind Saints cornerback Ken Crawley.
Fortunately for New Orleans, Browns kicker Zane Gonzales missed his second extra point of the night to keep the game tied. And after Lutz’s last-minute field goal, Gonzales also missed a 52-yard game-tying field goal attempt with three seconds remaining.
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