Walsh Makes Debut His Starting Point in Saints’ 25-20 Win : Interconference: Quarterback acquired from Dallas passes for three touchdowns as New Orleans ties NFL record with a victory over the Cleveland Browns.

Quarterback Steve Walsh made his debut with the New Orleans Saints Sunday against the Cleveland Browns and turned in a performance that might have helped him wrest the starting job from John Fourcade.

Walsh, acquired in a trade with Dallas on Sept. 25, entered the game in the second quarter and completed 15 of 26 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns in the Saints’ 25-20 victory over the Browns.

It was the Saints’ 13th consecutive victory against an AFC opponent, tying the record for interconference dominance set by the Miami Dolphins from 1978-81.

Walsh replaced Fourcade with 10:49 left in the second quarter and completed his first eight passes after the Browns (2-4) tied the score, 3-3.

“The receivers made me look good,” Walsh said. “I don’t think I threw one right on the numbers.

“It just so happened that we called four or five passes in a row, and I completed them. It is so important to build a quarterback’s confidence and build the confidence of the team in the quarterbacks. That’s the biggest thing a quarterback can have.”

Fourcade completed three of five passes for 23 yards and ran once for five yards. He was replaced by Walsh when the Saints (2-3) gained just six yards and had to settle for a 52-yard field goal by Morten Andersen after getting field position at the Cleveland 41 on a shanked punt.

“You haven’t seen the last of John Fourcade,” Fourcade said. “It’s a long season. I guess I’m back in the position of being one play away from being the starting quarterback.”

Neither Saint offensive coordinator Carl Smith nor Coach Jim Mora would say which quarterback will start next week.

Walsh drove the Saints 79 yards in 14 plays on his first series, capping it with a four-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Hilliard. Walsh connected with Floyd Turner on a 45-yard touchdown pass play in the third quarter and with Eric Martin on 13-yarder in the final quarter.

Martin had eight receptions for 153 yards.

“We had prepared a controlled pass rush for John Fourcade, because we knew that he would want to run the ball more than Steve Walsh,” Cleveland Coach Bud Carson said. “When you do that, you slow your pass rush down, and we were never able to speed it up once the other guy came in.”

Jerry Kauric kicked second-quarter field goals of 37 and 39 yards for the Browns, who also scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass play from Bernie Kosar to Webster Slaughter and a one-yard run by Kevin Mack.