Shough’s late heroics lead Saints past Browns in OT, 23-22, for first home win

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) - The New Orleans Saints finally won a game at home. The Cleveland Browns failed on their 2-point conversion in overtime Sunday (Nov. 8), allowing the Saints to escape with a heartstopping 23-22 victory at the Caesars Superdome.

“I’m just proud we were able to keep fighting,” Saints linebacker Kaden Elliss said. “Right now, we are trying to climb that ladder to show we’re a good team. I’m proud of us.”

The winning touchdown came courtesy of a 15-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Shough to Juwan Johnson on the first possession of overtime. It was Johnson’s second catch of the game.

Saints coach Kellen Moore said his team showed a “relentless effort.”

With Shough scrambling frequently late in the game to keep drives alive, it was an Audric Estime 2-yard touchdown run that gave the Saints their first lead of the second half, 16-13.

“To clean-slate it and take the ball and say, ‘Let’s go, we have a chance to win it.’ ... I think Tyler does a phenomenal job of that,” Moore said.

Estime rejoined the Saints after being on the Browns’ roster earlier this week. Estime was with the Saints in training camp.

Browns kicker Andre Szmyt answered Estime’s touchdown with a 51-yard field goal. That kick tied the game 16-16 with 58 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

Both teams’ offenses were fairly dreadful through the first three quarters, with the game tied 6-6 entering the final quarter.

Saints kicker Charlie Smyth hit a 48-yard field goal for a 9-6 lead with 5:38 left in regulation. But the Browns (5-4) quickly responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Shedeur Sanders to rookie K.C. Concepcion. It was the first career touchdown for the former Texas A&M wideout.

The Saints (3-5) were buoyed by the long-awaited return of Jordyn Tyson, the eighth overall pick of the 2026 draft who had been sidelined since training camp with a hamstring injury. But the rookie wide receiver’s first NFL catch ended poorly when he had the ball punched out for a red-zone fumble lost at the 1-yard line midway through the second quarter.

Smyth, who took over as the Saints’ kicker this week after the release of Daniel Carlson, gave New Orleans an early 3-0 lead with a 30-yard field goal with 7:20 left in the first quarter. It marked the first time this season that the Saints had taken a lead by scoring on their first drive of the game.

Smyth, however, missed a 52-yard field goal try on the Saints’ second possession, continuing the team’s uneven kicking game production. Smyth made up for his miss with a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter.

The Saints are home again next Sunday, hosting the division rival Carolina Panthers in a noon game at the Caesars Superdome.

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