For the first time in the 2022 NFL season, the New Orleans Saints have won two games in a row. The latter win coming on a 17-10 victory over the Cleveland Browns in a dreadfully cold FirstEnergy Stadium. Led by Alvin Kamara, Taysom Hill and the run game on the offensive side (with some nice passes and smart decisions in the passing game as well) and a stout defensive display, the Saints improve to 6-9 on the season and keep their NFC South hopes alive.
Hill and Kamara were the stars on offense with several standouts on defense as well. But the Browns put a lot more pressure on themselves than necessary, leading to some very questionable play-calling on the Cleveland sideline. Here are our seven biggest takeaways from the Saints’ Christmas Eve win:
1
Saints won this game by overcoming previous obstacles
The Saints have not hit 4 yards per carry in each of their last eight contests, but they did enough when it matters on Saturday. And on the defensive side, New Orleans just surrendered over 5 yards per carry to the Atlanta Falcons last week. In their win against the Browns, they found the run production on the offensive side when they needed it, though they still came in with a sub-4 yard per run average and they locked up Nick Chubb and the Cleveland rushing attack to just 3.6 yards per rushing attempt.
These are areas that the Saints have no been able to get consistently going throughout the season. So to turn around and win on the prowess of those elements is a positive step for New Orleans. The run game on both sides of the ball has not been what many expected it would be in 2022, but that did not get in the Saints way in a game where the rushing phase was so critical.
2
Rookie cornerback Alontae Taylor is a star
INTERCEPTED!
Daniel Sorensen picks off Deshaun Watson #Saints | 📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/PKnp4g1Azv
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 24, 2022
With star cornerback Marshon Lattimore out for the tenth-straight week, Taylor got another opportunity to go out and show what he has to offer. And yet again, he made good on that opportunity. He dislodged the ball on a pass that would end up intercepted by veteran safety Daniel Sorenson and late made a clutch play in the corner of the endzone to prevent a potential game-tying score.
Taylor has proven again and again that he deserves every bit of the playing time he’s been getting. When Lattimore does finally make his return, whether that be this year or at the top of next, it is going to be a task to keep Taylor from stealing the starting role opposite him.
3
Rookie wide receiver Chris Olave was sorely missed
Particularly in the second half, it was apparent how much New Orleans missed having Olave out of the field. Even in a game wherein the rushing attack was paramount, a couple of incomplete passes to practice squad member Keith Kirkwood more than showed how much Olave would have impacted Saturday’s game.
With only 15 total passing attempts for quarterback Andy Dalton, the other wide receiver targeted besides undrafted sensation Rashid Shaheed was Kirkwood. Both passes fell incomplete, one of which bouncing off of his helmet after it looked like it might have changed trajectory in the air. Having Olave on the field would have given the team a reliable and proven asset alongside Shaheed, which would have come in handy at least a couple of times despite the lack of passing opportunities.
4
We can drop the whole "Saints can't play in cold weather" thing
Since 2014 the Saints are now 5-1 in games played outdoors in which the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or less, including the playoffs per Stathead. Of course, you have to add in Saturday’s win for yourself. New Orleans is certainly not the coldest place to play or practice in the NFL, even when outdoors. But that has clearly not held the Saints back in their games.
There may be games that dropped to below 40 throughout the game which have different results. But the cold weather narrative might be one that has finally bit the dust.
5
Taysom Hill is a key to victory
Imagine having a dominant power runner that gets snaps from quarterback. Thankfully you do not have to imagine it, the Saints already have it. Per NewOrleans.Football’s Mike Triplett, New Orleans is now an eye-popping 14-1 when Hill see at least 7 carries in a game.
Though it took the Saints almost the entirety of the first half to get Hill his first rush from quarterback, once he got rolling he was hard to stop. It was no surprise that the multi-faceted weapon would be a huge part of the Saints’ gameplan, but that could be both good and bad. Good to know that Hill got the opportunities he served, especially in this style matchup. But it would have been more than understandable if Cleveland had a counter-punch ready. Thankfully for the Saints, that was not the case.
6
Cleveland Browns felt the pressure of their pocket book
There was no reason for the Browns to throw the ball 31 times in this matchup. With only a 7-point deficit in the closing quarter, the decision to consistently go to their felt forced. As previously highlighted, the Saints did a good job defending the run as a whole. Cleveland running back Chubb was averaging 4.6 yards per rush in the fourth quarter.
Instead of leaning on the hot hand late, the Browns went to the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL with Watson throwing twice as many passes (16) as Chubb had rushes (8) in the final period. What that amounted to was just 3.4 yards per play, their second least-successful quarter of the game. It felt a lot like the Browns felt their best option was relying on the guy they sold the farm farm for instead of the guy that was producing where and when necessary.
7
Saints don't care about their playoff odds, but are also firmly in play in the NFC South
With the Saints advancing to 6-9 along with their division neighbor Carolina Panthers, New Orleans is one (albeit unlikely) Tampa Bay Buccaneers loss to the Arizona Cardinals away from being in a three-way tie for first place. While that would not be enough for them to win the division, it does put them back in control of their own destiny. A 13-point blown lead to the Buccaneers a couple weeks ago now looms larger than ever. But even with that, the team is well within the division conversation even if their focus is not on their postseason lives.
Kamara said in his postgame presser that the team is just worried about “doing their jobs” and winning football games. For the first time this season, the have sealed two consecutive victories. With a big test on the way in the next week, New Orleans will look to extend that streak to three straight games against the Philadelphia Eagles. A team they have not beat since the 2018 playoffs.
