Cleveland Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders’s dismissive reaction to questions about the New Orleans defense ahead of Sunday’s matchup ignited a fire under Saints linebacker Carl Granderson, fueling a performance that culminated in a 23-22 overtime victory.
Granderson had warned prior to kickoff that the unit would carry a “chip on our shoulder” after Sanders smiled when asked about the Saints’ defensive outlook. He backed up that sentiment with multiple sacks in the win, then addressed the motivation behind the effort during his postgame press conference.
“We saw plenty on film, so I wouldn’t call it motivation—we saw them chirping,” Granderson said. “We came into this game ready to play. It’s disrespectful to laugh at our defense, to treat us like a joke. We went out there and balled out. They averaged 2.8 yards per carry, and we held the run to 95 yards on 34 attempts. We handled our business on defense, including that two-point conversion stop in overtime. It was a complete team win on that side of the ball.”
Sanders had his moments, and the Browns nearly stole the game with a touchdown pass to tight end Harold Fannin Jr. in overtime. A successful two-point conversion would have flipped the script, but the Saints’ defense made one final stand, ensuring Granderson and his teammates got the last laugh.