Saints/Browns Memorable Game: September 13, 1987 – VIDEO

The New Orleans Saints are on the road for week two of the 2014 NFL season on Sunday, when they travel to Cleveland, Ohio to take on the Cleveland Browns in an inter-conference match-up.

Kickoff at FirstEnergy Stadium is scheduled for noon, and you can hear all the play-by-play action on ESPN 1420, as well as 97.3 The Dawg.

Both teams will go into the match-up at 0-1 on the season, with the Saints falling in overtime to the Atlanta Falcons, 37-34 last Sunday, while the Bowns dropped a 30-27 decision to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Browns lead the all-time series, 12-4, and have outscored the Saints, 371-266, in the 16 match-ups between the two franchises.

After Art Modell moved the original Browns’ franchise to Baltimore in 1995, and the expansion Browns resumed operations in 1999, Cleveland holds a 3-1 advantage over the Saints.

All week long, in anticipation of the upcoming contest, we’ll be taking a look back at some of the more memorable games between the two franchises.

On Monday, we went back to October 1, 1967, for the very first game ever played between the two teams, a convincing 42-7 win by the Browns.

On Tuesday, we went back to October 28, 1984, for a 16-14 Saints’ victory, their first all-time win over the Browns in nine tries

Today, we go back to September 13, 1987, for a 28-21 win by the Saints in the season opener for both teams at the Louisiana Superdome.

New Orleans, who was coming off of a 7-9 finish in the first year of the Jim Mora era in 1986, had high hopes heading into the 1987 season, while Cleveland, who just missed the Super bowl the previous year, making it to the AFC Championship Game, before losing to the Denver Broncos, 38-33, was one of the favorites in the AFC heading into the new season.

That Saints were looking for only their second win in franchise history against the Browns, having defeated them, 16-14, for the first time, back in 1984.

New Orleans scored the only points of the first quarter, when quarterback Bobby Hebert threw a short 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Hoby Brenner, giving them a 7-0 lead at the end of the first period.

Cleveland tied things in the second quarter, when Clarence Weathers caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Bernie Kosar, making the score 7-7 as the two teams went into the locker room at halftime.

The Saints retook the lead in the third quarter, when Hebert and Brenner hooked up again on another scoring strike, this one from 7 yards out, to give them a 14-7 advantage.

The Browns came right back to tie things however, when Kosar tossed 30-yard touchdown pass to Brian Brennan, knotting up the contest, 14-14.

New Orleans once again regained the advantage near the end of the third quarter, when Dalton Hilliard scored on a 5-yard touchdown run, to give them a 21-14 lead through three quarters.

Cleveland, showing their resilience, came right back to tie the game early in the fourth quarter, courtesy of a 3-yard run by Kosar, making the score 21-21.

That's when the Saints' defense came up big, racking up two safties by sacking Kosar twice in the end zone, with one recorded by defensive lineman Bruce Clark, and the other by safety Brett Maxie, to give the home team a 25-21.

Kicker Morten Andersen later tacked on a 39-yard field goal, giving New Orleans a 28-21 lead, and the eventual 7-point win.

The Browns outgained the Saints, in terms of total offense, 387-338, including 294-147 advantage through the air, but New Orleans finished with a 191-93 edge on the ground, and also forced two critical turnovers.

For the Saints, Rueben Mayes led the way, compiling 147 yards on 24 attempts, while Kosar paced the Browns in a losing cause, throwing for 314 yards and two touchdowns.

New Orleans went on to have their best season in franchise history, going 12-3 and making the playoffs for the first time ever, while Cleveland went 10-5, and made a return trip to the AFC title game, before once again coming up short against the Broncos, 38-33.

Below, watch Saints' highlights from their historic 1987 season: