Saints vs. Browns: Scouting the New Orleans Saints with our Q&A with Canal Street Chronicles

This Saturday, the Cleveland Browns take on the New Orleans Saints. To help preview a few topics from the Saints’ perspective, we reached out to Tina Howell from Canal Street Chronicles and exchanged five questions with her. Enjoy!

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Browns are 3-point favorites against the Saints.

Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images

Chris: “How crazy is it that despite the Saints having a 5-9 record, this game is huge for them and could put them in a tie for the division lead? Do you think New Orleans can make the playoffs?”

Tina: “As a whole, this has been a weird season. Our division is mess and there are several teams throughout the league, that are not where I thought they would be at this point. Now, anything can happen as you know but I do not think we will make the playoffs. We have a 4% chance, will have to win out and still need a lot of help. The Saints just have too many injuries, played inconsistent and have not won back-to-back games all season. This just isn’t our year.”

Chris: “How has Andy Dalton been as the Saints’ starting quarterback? Do fans agree with him being the main guy, with Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill also on the roster?”

Tina: “Fans are not happy about this situation. Andy Dalton was hired as a backup and when Jameis was injured, it made sense starting him but statically, when healthy, Jameis was the better QB for us. For Dennis Allen to keep him on the sidelines, is really perplexing.”

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Chris: “I haven’t had much time to watch Saints games this year; statistically, they are better against the pass than they are against the run. What is your assessment of the Saints’ biggest weakness on defense?”

Tina: “I think injuries have hurt us the most this year. In 2021, the Saints held 12 of their 17 opponents to under 100 yards on the ground and had a top 5 defense against the run for 4 consecutive years. This season, we are currently ranked 23rd. They have really struggled in many aspects, but our run defense has been the most disappointing so far.”

Chris: “Tell us about one player who Browns fans may not have heard of, but who could have an impact on this Sunday’s game.”

Tina: “Alontae Taylor, he is our rookie cornerback that has been starting in place of an injured Marshon Lattimore. He has held his own against some of the best receivers in the league. When he is on the field, he is all over the place, just quietly making plays.”

Chris: “The Browns are favorites to beat the Saints on Saturday Browns -3 as of this question, per DraftKings Sportsbook). Who would you pick against the spread?”

Tina: “Due to the weather, I think this is a low scoring game and it will all come down who has the better run game. I’ll be optimistic and say the Saints win, 13 -10 Merry Christmas!”

Thanks again to Tina for taking the time to answer my questions.