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Halftime Studs & Duds: Saints Knotted Up with the Browns 3-3 at the Half

A defensive struggle and offensive ordeals are the story of the first half.
Doug Joubert|
Nov 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Barion Brown (19) is tackled by Cleveland Browns tight end Carsen Ryan (48) during a punt return during the first quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images
Nov 8, 2026; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Barion Brown (19) is tackled by Cleveland Browns tight end Carsen Ryan (48) during a punt return during the first quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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The Saints are tied with the Browns after thirty minutes of play at 3-apiece in the Superdome. Here's what we saw that impressed us and what didn't after the first half.

The Studs

Big Play

When quarterback Tyler Shough has been given time this season, he has been able to throw some dimes, including this 50-plus yarder to rookie Barion Brown.

Shough had a nice pass inside the five yard line to another rookie, as Jordyn Tyson caught his first NFL pass, but fumbled at the Cleveland two. More on that in a bit.

Audric Estimé

There were people who wondered why he was ever released. We were included in that group. It didn't take long for Audric Estimé to make his presence known.

On the opening drive alone, Estimé had three carries for 32-yards. A pretty steady diet of Estimé early on helped everything else work nicely.

Saints Defense

Truth be told, the Saints aren't playing against Deshaun Watson at quarterback for Cleveland. However, they are playing pretty solid in the first half, including linebacker Kaden Elliss getting his first sack of the year.

But nothing was bigger than this 4th down and goal brick wall inside the Saints one.

The Duds

Saints Rookie Receivers

Twice, Saints rookies have lost fumbles in this first half, and once another rookie let a ball slip out of his grasp almost leading to a Browns interception.

The first was mentioned above when Tyson caught his first NFL pass, a crossing pattern inside the ten, and lost the ball going to the ground.

The second was by returner Brown. Earlier, he had caught that 52-yard bomb. Then he lost the ball while trying to make a silk purse out of a sow's ear.

With under a minute to go, Bryce Lance let a pass slip through his hands in Saints territory. It bounced high in the air and almost landed in the arms of a Cleveland defensive back.

By the way, with those two giveaways, the Saints have now lost more fumbles than any other team in the NFL, surpassing.....the Browns.

1st Quarter Saints Pass Blocking

In just fifteen minutes of play, quarterback Tyler Shough was sacked twice, having to run for his life more times than he probably would like. One of his scrambles was for a first down, though.

The group did better in quarter number two, allowing time for Shough to find those aforementioned big pass plays.

Charlie Smyth...Sorta...

The Irishman was called on to take the place of a veteran. He made the chip shot from 30-yards but was wide right on the 52-yarder.

Come on, Charlie...

Cleveland's Penalties

If you thought the Saints were not disciplined because of being penalized, welcome to the Cleveland Browns. The visitors had six penalties in the first quarter alone. The Browns came in as the most penalized team in the NFL and didn't disappoint.

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Doug Joubert
DOUG JOUBERT

Doug has been around Saints football since its inception. He was in Tulane Stadium when John Gilliam ran back the opening kickoff for a touchdown in 1967. Though he was in attendance for the Tom Dempsey field goal in 1970, he left early, something he regrets to this day. He covered the Saints at their training camp in Ruston, Louisiana in 1985 while he was working in Monroe, Louisiana as an award-winning radio sportscaster. He was the host of the New Orleans Saints Pre-Game and Post-Game show on Sports 1280, WQUE in the early 1990s. Doug is also the publisher of the Tulane site for On SI.

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