CLEVELAND (AP) — Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill each had touchdown runs and the New Orleans Saints went outside and handled Cleveland’s arctic-like cold in a 17-10 win Saturday over the Browns, who were officially eliminated from the playoffs.
The Saints (6-9) were 0-6 in outdoor games this season before rallying to beat the Browns (6-9) in the coldest game in New Orleans history.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson drove Cleveland to the Saints’ 15 in the final minute, but he was sacked on fourth down with 19 seconds left by Carl Granderson, ending the Browns’ postseason hopes.
Kamara scored on a 4-yard run late in the third quarter — set up by Daniel Sorensen’s interception of Watson and 36-yard return — as the Saints, still kicking in the NFC playoff hunt, overcame a 10-0 deficit.
New Orleans came in trailing Tampa Bay by one game in the weak, wide-open NFC South.
Cleveland is guaranteed a losing season in coach Kevin Stefanski’s third year, having played most of this one without Watson.
Watson had a 12-yard rushing TD but struggled to pass in the blustery conditions (15 of 31 for 135 yards) and fell to 2-2 as a starter since returning from his 11-game suspension for sexual misconduct allegations.
The Browns’ porous rushing defense was a problem once again as the Saints, rotating Andy Dalton and Hill at quarterback and snapping it directly to Kamara, rolled up 152 yards on the ground.
The temperature was 6 degrees at kickoff, making it the coldest regular-season game in Cleveland history. Only the Browns’ 1981 playoff game (1 degree) against the Oakland Raiders was worse.
It was coldest at FirstEnergy Stadium, which opened in 1999. During the first quarter, the Browns invited any fans sitting in the upper deck to move to the lower bowl and hundreds of fans accepted the offer.
The Saints had never been this cold. Their previous coldest game was 24 degrees on Dec. 26, 1993 in Philadelphia’s Veterans Stadium.
Kamara’s TD was the 72nd of his career, tying him with Marques Colston for the most in Saints history.
After getting a 23-yard field goal by Wil Lutz on the final play of the first half, New Orleans took the second-half kickoff and drove 67 yards for a tying TD with Hill barreling in from the 8-yard-line to make it 10-all with 9:40 left.
Watson’s TD scamper gave the Browns a 7-0 lead early in the second quarter.
With Cleveland’s offense unable to do anything productive, the defense came through as safety Grant Delpit intercepted a pass by Dalton that went off tight end Juwan Johnson’s hands and returned it 40 yards to the Saints’ 30.
Five plays later, Watson swept left on third down and scored untouched for his first rushing TD with Cleveland.
The Browns then ate up 8:44 on the clock with a drive capped by rookie Cade York’s 30-yard field goal to take a 10-0 led.
INJURIES
Saints: LG Andrus Peat (leg) was carted to the locker room in the first quarter, another blow to New Orleans’ offensive line after guard Cesar Ruiz went on IR earlier in the week. … S Justin Evans (shoulder) didn’t play in the second half. … WR Jarvis Landry (ankle) didn’t get to reunite with his former Cleveland native teammates affer going on IR Thursday.
UP NEXT
Saints: At Philadelphia on Jan. 1.
Browns: Visit Washington on Jan. 1.
