The Cleveland Browns have announced that Shedeur Sanders will be their starting quarterback on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. He will take over for Deshaun Watson, who is likely to be ruled out while dealing with concussion symptoms.
That has changed the outlook for the Week 9 game at the Caesars Superdome for both teams. It also has a significant impact on the betting line.
The Browns have seen a notable change in the odds for the Saints matchup, with the spread climbing from 1.5 points to 3.5.
“At one point earlier in the week, the Browns were as low as a 1.5-point underdog vs. the Saints in New Orleans. With things pointing towards Shedeur Sanders starting Sunday, Cleveland has jumped up to a 3.5-point underdog now at some sportsbooks,” Nick Camino posted.
At one point earlier in the week, the #Browns were as low as a 1.5-point underdog vs. the Saints in New Orleans.
With things pointing towards Shedeur Sanders starting Sunday, Cleveland has jumped up to a 3.5-point underdog now at some sportsbooks.
— Nick Camino (@NickCaminoWKYC) November 6, 2026
That line movement came before Sanders’ status as the starter became official. It will be interesting to see if it climbs even higher with Watson no longer in the mix.
Fans who have been dismissive of Sanders will point to this as a sign that Watson was the proper choice as Cleveland’s starter all along. But there could be other factors involved.
New Orleans was already the favorite, even though it is 2-5 while Cleveland is 5-3 this season. The Saints are 0-3 at the dome, losing home games from Weeks 3-5, but they are coming off their bye after being defeated by the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 7 in Paris.
The Browns just suffered an ugly loss to the Steelers, who had no trouble returning from Europe to easily handle their AFC North rivals. Watson took a hit to the head in the first quarter of that game, but he was cleared to return and finished with a season-high 324 passing yards.
Sanders has played just five snaps this season and managed just two yards on two completions against Pittsburgh, playing four snaps while Watson was being evaluated. Cleveland won three of his seven starts as a rookie last season, including the final two games of the season.
Prior to defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 2, the Browns had lost their last seven road games against NFC teams, including 35-14 to the Saints in 2024, so they will have their work cut out for them to cover this spread, let alone win the game outright.
NEXT: A Saints Defender Has A Warning For The Browns
