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The Browns were just a kick away.Well Trey Hendrickson Jersey 2019 , maybe a few kicks, not to mention a defensive penalty that revived a New Orleans touchdown drive, as well as an interception that set up another Saints score in the waning minutes.Even with all those critical, untimely mistakes, Cleveland could have forced overtime if Zane Gonzalez had managed to compartmentalize an earlier missed field goal — and two missed extra points — when he lined up for a 52-yard try in the final seconds.Gonzalez pushed it wide, and the Browns fell 21-18 in New Orleans to extend their winless streak to 19 games.Yet the performance also demonstrated how close Cleveland is to breaking back into the win column."Our players, as I told them afterward, 'There is a good team in that (locker) room,'" Browns coach Hue Jackson said. "There is no doubt in my mind about that."We've just got to make sure we are doing the right things all of the time to give us a chance."The Browns head into Week 3 with one loss and one tie, but with reasons for optimism. They are just a few plays away from being 2-0. In Week 1, they set up for a winning field goal in overtime against Pittsburgh , only to have it blocked.The Saints (1-1), meanwhile, are evidently unsatisfied with how their season has begun. Their defense struggled in a 48-40 Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay. In Week 2, the offense managed only a field goal through three quarters and change against Cleveland before rallying for 18 points inside the final nine minutes. If not for safety Marcus Williams' interception of Tyrod Taylor with just less than five minutes to go, the Saints might have become the first team to lose to the Browns since Dec. 24, 2016."I'm encouraged we won, but let's not kid ourselves," Saints coach Sean Payton said. "We have a lot to do to improve."Some story lines emerging from New Orleans' narrow triumph over Cleveland:WILLIAMS' WAYGregg Williams White Sheldon Rankins Jersey , a the Saints defensive coordinator from 2009-11, was caught on the HBO series Hard Knocks boasting that he turned down numerous jobs to take over as defensive coordinator in Cleveland. Now everyone can see why.Drew Brees and the Saints had their hands full with a Browns defense that forced two turnovers — fumbled by receivers Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn Jr. — and came up with three drive-stalling sacks. Tackle Larry Ogunjobi sacked Brees twice, blitzing cornerback T.J. Carrie got to Brees on another third down, and Ogunjobi would have had another in the fourth quarter if not for Derrick Kindred's illegal contact penalty."He did a good job," Payton said of Williams. "They always give you challenging looks. ... They have some good young players that played well."ONE-TWO PUNCHThrough Week 2, it's apparent that the Saints are relying heavily on Thomas and running back Alvin Kamara to carry the load.Thomas had 12 catches for 89 yards and both Saints touchdowns, giving him 28 catches for 269 yards and three TDs through two games."With a player of my caliber and the guy behind center and the offensive line and all the tools around me, I'm going to catch a lot of footballs. I'm going to get open. I've been doing that my whole life," Thomas said. "So now what can I do to add value to this team and take the next step?"Kamara had 99 yards from scrimmage, including 53 receiving on six catches to go with his successful run on a 2-point conversion. Kamara now has 240 yards from scrimmage and three TDs.BIG-PLAY CALLOWAYA day after the Browns announced they were formally giving up on deep-threat receiver Josh Gordon, rookie Antonio Calloway offered evidence he could grow into a similar type of play maker, racing past the Saints' secondary for a 47-yard touchdown catch from Taylor on a fourth-and-5 play with 1:16 to go. It could have been a go-ahead score, but Gonzalez hooked the extra point wide left."Those are plays we truly believe he can make," Jackson said.HILL COUNTRYPerhaps third-string QB is the wrong title for New Orleans' Taysom Hill. He became a regular on special teams late last season on kick coverage. Against Cleveland, he debuted as kickoff returner — and there's every reason to believe he'll get another shot. After Cleveland's first three kickoffs went for touchbacks, Hill decided to return the fourth from 7 yards deep in the end zone. He burst through a seam and sprinted out of the Saints 40 before being tripped up."It was a good return," Payton said. "He's explosive." Drew Brees used one hand to hold his helmet and the other to wipe away tears.It was the first time the 39-year-old Brees had ever walked off of a football field knowing that he had thrown for more yards than any quarterback in the history of the NFL. And the Saints quarterback couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by thoughts of all the work and people who helped him get to such an esteemed point.“I broke down and cried a bunch of times this week, just thinking about so many things,” Brees said after his latest NFL-record-setting performance in a 43-19 victory over the Washington Redskins on Monday night. “I think about all the people who have influenced my life in such a powerful way Sheldon Rankins Jersey 2019 , and there were so many of those people that were here tonight, that witnessed this, so many people that I spoke to this week that are a part of this, and so many other still that I have yet to have a chance to reach out to.“Two of the people who had biggest influence on my football career certainly and on who I am, growing up, are my mom and my grandfather and they’re in heaven. They’re no longer here, but I know that they would be proud,” Brees added.The 6-foot Brees was lightly recruited out of high school in Austin, Texas, considered undersized for a quarterback at the major college and pro levels. He led Purdue to the Rose Bowl and was a Heisman Trophy finalist, but no NFL team picked him in the first round of the 2001 draft. Brees’ first team, the Chargers, discarded him after a shoulder injury in 2005, setting the stage for his arrival in New Orleans and his emergence as one of the most prolific quarterbacks ever.His latest outing would have been memorable even if no records were in play. He completed 26 of 29 passes for 363 yards and three TDs. His second touchdown was a 62-yarder to rookie Tre’Quan Smith that put Brees ahead of Peyton Manning’s previous all-time mark of 71,940 yards.Moments after that touchdown, the NFL halted the game for about three minutes so the ball could be handed over to Pro Football Hall of Fame officials. Brees was able to embrace his family and coach Sean Payton on the sideline.“It’s a beautiful thing, a beautiful experience for all of us,” said Saint left tackle Terron Armstead, the first teammate to hug Brees after the record-setting completion to Smith. “The energy in the stadium at that time White Sheldon Rankins Jersey , I thought he was going to cry, really. He’s a tough dude, he probably didn’t want to show that side. But it was an amazing experience.”Some other things to know about the Saints’ victory over Washington:RISING ROOKIESmith is a third-round draft choice out of Central Florida who, in his fifth NFL game, became immortalized for his role in Brees’ record-breaking night.“Now I get to go down in history with somebody famous in (future) Hall of Famer Drew Brees,” Smith said. “I’m glad it happened to me.”And Brees is glad to see Smith emerging into the player he showed signs of becoming in training camp. Smith finished with three catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns.“This kid could really help us, could really be a big part of our offense,” Brees said.NON-STAR TREATMENTCornerback Josh Norman is supposed to be the centerpiece for a Redskins defense that had allowed the fewest passing yards in the NFL entering the game against the Saints, but he struggled just as much as the rest of the secondary as Drew Brees threw for 250 yards in the first half.Coach Jay Gruden even benched Norman for the first series of the second half, but the move backfired when his replacement, Greg Stroman, was beaten for an easy touchdown by Smith. Norman returned on the next series.INGRAM’S BACKMark Ingram wasted little time putting his imprint on his first game back from a four-game suspension for use of a banned substance. He scored two of the Saints first three touchdowns on short runs and finished with 53 yards rushing and 20 receiving.“Just an exciting moment just being back with my teammates,” Ingram said. “Just a lot of pent-up emotion, being away from my guys, being able to come back out here. I don’t take anything about this game for granted.”PETERING OUTVeteran running back Adrian Peterson was looking resurgent coming into a game against the team that traded him away early last season.He left the Superdome with a shoulder strain and was scheduled for an MRI.Before his injury, Peterson gained 36 yards on two catches out of the backfield, but had only 6 yards rushing on four carries.___