Tyler Shough threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Juwan Johnson on the first possession of overtime, and the host New Orleans Saints held on to defeat the Cleveland Browns 23-22 on Sunday afternoon.
Shough passed for 265 yards for the Saints (3-5), and Shedeur Sanders, filling in for the injured Deshaun Watson (concussion), passed for 297 yards and two touchdowns for the Browns (5-4).
After New Orleans took the lead in overtime, Sanders threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Harold Fannin Jr., but his two-point conversion pass was incomplete.
During a hectic fourth quarter, Sanders threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to KC Concepcion for a 13-9 lead. After Audric Estime's 2-yard touchdown run gave the Saints a 16-13 lead with 58 seconds remaining, Sanders drove Cleveland to Andre Szmyt's tying 51-yard field goal with eight seconds left.
The Saints took a lead in their first possession of the game on Charlie Smyth's 30-yard field goal.
Szmyt kicked a 41-yard field goal to tie the score early in the second quarter.
Shough threw a 52-yard completion to Barion Brown to the Cleveland 11. Two plays later, Saints rookie first-round draft choice Jordyn Tyson, making his debut after being on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, made his first NFL reception for a 9-yard gain but lost a fumble at the Cleveland 1.
The New Orleans defense forced a punt, but Brown fumbled on the return, and the Browns recovered the ball at the Saints' 19. Quinshon Judkins was stopped for no gain on fourth-and-goal at the 1, leaving the score tied at 3 at halftime.
On Cleveland's fourth play of the third quarter, Sanders teamed with Denzel Boston on a 60-yard completion, leading to Szmyt's 30-yard field goal and giving the Browns their first lead, 6-3.
New Orleans drove to Smyth's 27-yard field goal on the ensuing possession, tying the score at the end of the third quarter. Then Smyth converted a 48-yard go-ahead field goal with 5:38 left.
--Field Level Media