Cleveland Browns eliminated from playoffs with frigid loss to New Orleans Saints

CLEVELAND − The hopes for a winning season or the playoffs for the Browns went into the deep freeze on Saturday afternoon with a 17-10 loss to the New Orleans Saints.

As the temperature rose from a frigid six degrees at kickoff, the Browns' chances faded. That's even after they were able to grab a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

The Browns needed to win in order to stay alive in the playoff hunt due to tiebreakers. They also needed to win out to have any hopes for a winning seasons.

Instead, Cleveland will head to Washington on New Year's Day at 6-9. New Orleans return home to the Big Easy with a 6-9 record as well.

The Browns' final desperation drive went from their own 20 with 5:16. They reached the Saints 15 when Deshaun Watson hit David Bell to give them a first down.

However, that's all they would gain. Passes to Donovan Peoples-Jones and David Njoku went off their hands in the end zone, and Watson would get sacked by Carl Granderson with 19 seconds left to seal the game.

Saints get first significant drive of game, but no points

The Browns sandwiched three-and-outs around the Saints' first drive, also three plays and a punt. New Orleans, though, was the first one to manufacture any sustained semblance of offense on its third possession.

The Saints didn't do anything too fancy in moving from their own 20 to the Cleveland 33. The biggest thing they did was convert both third downs they faced, including getting eight on a third-and-7 from their own 23.

The Browns would catch a break when Dalton, on what appeared to be a miscommunication between quarterback and receiver, was flagged for intentional grounding after a bad incompletion. That would turn third-and-8 into third-and-18, and New Orleans would ultimately punt.

Grant Delpit comes up with the big takeaway

New Orleans got great starting field position for its third possession at the Browns 45. However, Grant Delpit made sure it was unable to do anything with the good field position.

Dalton's third-and-10 pass ricocheted off the hands of tight end Juwan Johnson. Delpit, playing deep safety, came up with the interception and returned it to the Saints 30.

Browns turn takeaway into a Deshaun Watson touchdown

The key to the Delpit interception was what the Browns were able to do with it. They made sure it didn't go for naught, even if it took waiting for the first play of the second quarter.

Three Nick Chubb runs and a fluttery pass from Watson to David Njoku put the Browns at the Saints 12, facing third-and-3 to start the second quarter. Watson took care of it from there, taking a designed quarterback run to the left into the end zone for his first rushing touchdown.

Cade York' point-after kick split the uprights for a 7-0 Browns lead five seconds into the second quarter.

Browns put together big-boy drive that turns into double-digit lead

The Browns' next possession after taking the lead was one of their best sustained drives of the season. That's even though it didn't start out that great.

Twice, the Browns had third-down pass plays negated by penalties downfield by receivers. However, faced with third-and-11 from their own 27, Chubb fought his way for just enough to move the chains.

That was one of three third- or fourth-down conversions on the drive, including two which required the Browns to pick up 11 yards. The other of those was a third-and-11 in which Watson fired a pass to Amari Cooper for a 16-yard gain to the New Orleans 38.

Those two hooked up later for a 21-yard connection to convert a fourth-and-5. They nearly got a third connection to go for a touchdown, but Cooper slipped just as the ball reached him in the back of the end zone and it fell incomplete.

York came on after that for a 30-yard field goal and a 10-0 lead. That capped a 17-play, 60-yard drive that took 8:44 off the clock and looked like it was going to allow the Browns to grab the game's momentum.

Looked like it was going to, but it didn't do that.

Saints get running game going with Taysom Hill in at quarterback

The running game got going for New Orleans after the the Browns took the 10-0 lead. To do so, the Saints went with much more of Taysom Hill at quarterback.

Hill, the former college quarterback who's been starting at tight end this season, lined up at quarterback on six plays of their next nine-play possession. Between he and running back Alvin Kamara, as well as a ill-timed defensive personal foul for the Browns, they managed to go 68 yards in 10 plays.

Will Lutz capped the drive with a 23-yard field goal as the half expired to pull the Saints within 10-3. That would prove to be big in changing the game's momentum.

Saints double-up the points to get the game even

The field goal to end the half was massive when the Saints were able to take the second-half kickoff and turn it into a game-tying touchdown. Much like the field-goal drive, Hill played a big role on the drive.

Hill capped the nine-play, 67-yard march with an 8-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 10-10 after the Lutz PAT. However, it was Dalton who made a big third-and-4 pass to Rashid Shaheed for 14 yards to the Browns 25 to keep the drive alive.

Daniel Sorensen taketh away for Saints

Daniel Sorensen always seemed to be in the middle of big plays against the Browns while he was playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. Now in New Orleans, he was right in the middle of one of the biggest plays of the day.

The Browns had second-and-11 from their 42 and Watson threw a pass to David Bell. The ball went off Bell's hands and into Sorensen's for the interception.

Sorensen returned it to the Cleveland 15. That set up the Saints to take a 17-10 lead on Kamara's 4-yard run with 55 seconds left in the third quarter.

Browns get pass-happy in the fourth quarter

The Browns got off to a good start to answer the touchdown when Jerome Ford returned the subsequent kickoff to their 41. A 12-yard pass from Watson to Cooper put them at the Saints 44, where they had first down.

After the Browns gained two on first down, they elected to try back-to-back passes on second and third down. The first overshot Cooper by 10 yards, while the second one was just past tight end David Njoku to force a punt.

On the next Browns possession, they had third-and-2 at their own 30 and elected to try and roll-out pass that Watson had to throw away. They went for it on fourth down, and the pass was again too long.

Contact Chris at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com.

On Twitter: @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns eliminated from playoffs with loss to New Orleans Saints