Dawgs By Nature
Derek Carr, Alvin Kamara among the big names for Browns vs Saints
After a much-needed bye week, the Cleveland Browns will return to the football field this Sunday. Considering how the latter part of their schedule is, Cleveland will look to gain some momentum and finish the season on a positive note. The Browns will make a trip down to the Bayou to take on the New Orleans Saints.
After a 2-0 start to start the year, there was a sense of belief that the Saints were trending towards being a serious contender in the NFC. So much for that. Injuries at key positions and a seven-game-losing streak led to the Saints firing head coach Dennis Allen after the team lost to the Carolina Panthers after Week 9.
Interim head coach Darren Rizzi got his first win over the Atlanta Falcons but make no mistake, this team is not good.
Offensively, this is an average unit, however, they have been plagued by injuries.
As far as the receiving corps goes, it’s depleted. Wide receivers Chris Olave, Rashid Shaheed and rookie Bub Means are all on injured reserve. If I told you Marquez Valdes-Scantling would be the main guy in the receiver room going into Week 11, you wouldn’t believe me. Undrafted rookies Mason Tipton (Akron Archbishop Hoban grad) and Jermaine Jackson are on the active roster but Dante Pettis and Equanimeous St Brown will be called up from the practice squad.
Running back Alvin Kamara has been effective and the offensive line has gone through their fair share of injuries as well. Average but the unit is inconsistent.
As far as the defense goes, it has a new look to it.
The cornerback room is young after the team traded away former Ohio State and Glenville HS grad Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders. The unit still has noticeable veterans on the team. Linebacker Demario Davis (he played in Cleveland at one point), defensive end Cam Jordan and safety Tyrann Mathieu come to mind.
Ohio State standouts defensive end Chase Young and linebacker Pete Werner are also there.
From a statistical standpoint, the unit is ranked towards the lower half of the league. Despite the noticeable names, the unit is on the older side and hasn’t been great. It’s also led by former Browns defensive coordinator Joe Woods.
Overall, not a great unit.
Here are the 3 players to watch for in this upcoming matchup:
QB Derek Carr
When Derek Carr signed with the New Orleans Saints last season, many believed that he would be the quarterback that the Saints were missing. Safe to say, the Saints are probably still looking for a quarterback that they are missing. Going back to the 2-0 start, Carr was playing with confidence and looked rejuvenated under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak.
However, when teams figured out the offense and how to limit it Carr had his struggles. The Saints offense fell off a cliff when Carr went down with an oblique injury and...
