Saints' Carl Granderson Given High Praise for Dominant Effort vs. Cleveland Browns

The New Orleans Saints found their defense on Sunday. It showed up big in the Saints' 23-22 overtime win over the Cleveland Browns.

Save for a hiccup in overtime and a play here and there, the Saints defense looked more like the unit we expected to see before the year started. Defensive lineman Carl Granderson played a huge role.

For a little while, the Saints have been hoping for some player to break out and make a difference. The team had been gashed in the running game and through the air by several teams before the bye week. Out of the bye, Granderson made a statement.

SB Nation's Kyle Besson discussed Granderson's breakout at defensive end in Sunday's game. Here's some of what he had to say about the team's newfound impact player.

"Phew. The Saints have a dangerous pass rush combo. We all knew about Chase Young, who has 8 sacks in 8 games this season. But Carl Granderson has feasted off the attention Young brings and has brought his season sack total to 7.5 sacks.

In the win against the Browns, Granderson logged 2 sacks and 2 tackles for loss. He was a game changer for the Saints on Sunday, and entered the week with a chip on his shoulder after a viral video of Shedeur Sanders seemingly laughing when asked a question about the Saints' defense.

While Sanders says he wasn't laughing at the Saints' defense, it opened the opportunity to add more motivation for the defense, and Granderson himself took it personally. If the former undrafted free agent can continue to play like this, New Orleans will end the season with two of the top three sack leaders."

It's not as if he has not been making an impact all year long. That said, he had the most pronounced impact of the year perhaps against the Browns. It was the type of effort that makes a difference between winning and losing.

The Saints still have a long way to go. Certainly, Granderson and company could have made the win less eventful at the end. Still, the Saints showed promise the defensive side that they can build around beyond the Week 9 win.

New Orleans sits somehow in first place in the NFC North. The Saints will look to build on their Week 9 win and continue improving on defense as we move into the final stretch of the season.