The New Orleans Saints ended a seven-game losing streak in their first game under their interim head coach Darren Rizzi last weekend.
The Saints (3-7) will try to continue that success when they host the Cleveland Browns (2-7) on Sunday afternoon.
“Our preparation work last week is the reason we won the game,” said Rizzi, who was promoted from special teams coordinator when Dennis Allen was fired Nov. 4. “We had great meetings, we had great practices, we had great walkthroughs and that translated to the field. Our biggest challenge this week is to sustain it.”
New Orleans held on to defeat the visiting Atlanta Falcons 20-17 last Sunday. The Falcons threatened three times in the fourth quarter, but Atlanta missed a 46-yard field goal, Tyrann Mathieu intercepted Kirk Cousins and Chase Young’s strip sack of Cousins led to Atlanta running out of time.
The stops were encouraging for a defense that had allowed the Eagles, Falcons and Panthers to drive to winning scores in the final minutes earlier in the season.
“We ended the game with the defense on the field,” Rizzi said. “That goes a long way (toward building confidence).”
But the Saints defense still ranks 24th in scoring, 27th in rushing, 28th in total defense and 29th in pass defense. Atlanta rushed for 181 yards, averaging 5.7 per attempt, and Bijan Robinson had a 37-yard touchdown run.
“We’re still not tackling good enough,” Rizzi said. “We’re still giving up too many rushing yards. We’re still giving up too many explosive plays.”
New Orleans’ run defense might help Cleveland find what it’s looking for. Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said a point of emphasis during the bye last week was improving the running game.
“We have to run the ball way more efficiently than we are and find those explosives in the run game,” Stefanski said. “We need to lean into the things that we feel our guys do best.”
Former Saints quarterback Jameis Winston will make his third consecutive start since Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending torn Achilles. Winston completed 26 of 46 passes for 235 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in a 27-10 home loss to the Chargers on Nov. 3.
“I’m grateful for this moment,” Winston said. “Opportunities only come so often, so it’s definitely a privilege to lead the Cleveland Browns organization and be a starting NFL quarterback. I take pride in that.”
Winston, the No. 1 overall pick by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the 2015 draft, signed with New Orleans as a free agent in 2020 with the expectation that he would be Drew Brees’ successor after being his understudy.
After throwing 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions in leading the Saints to a 5-2 start in 2021, Winston suffered a knee injury and injuries limited him again in 2022. The Saints signed Derek Carr before last season and Winston backed him up before signing with the Browns as a free agent.
Cleveland has won just one time since Week 2, though that was a Winston start, against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 8.
“We cannot fall victim to what’s behind us,” Winston said. “We cannot (focus on) what’s ahead of us. We have to focus on one day and one play, executing perfectly one play at a time.”
Two Saints starters missed practice Wednesday — linebacker Pete Werner (hand) and guard Lucas Patrick (ankle). Starting center Erik McCoy, who hasn’t played since suffering a groin injury in Week 3, was limited. No Cleveland starters missed practice.
This will be the Browns’ first road game since a 20-16 loss to the Eagles on Oct. 13.