The Saints, like all teams, pay attention to the things said by their upcoming opponents.

Earlier this week, Browns quarterback Shedeur Sanders seemed to make some less-than-flattering comments about the New Orleans defense. The New Orleans defense heard it, loud and clear.

“We’re gonna come in with a chip on our shoulder, for sure,” Saints defensive end Carl Granderson said Friday. “You know, they been chirping a little bit. We heard what the quarterback . . . said. So, you know, we’re [going to] come in hot and ready to play. . . . It’s gonna be a good game, for sure. We’re gonna come out with the [win].”

Asked Wednesday by reporters whether he has had a chance to study the Saints defense and to explain what he has seen, Sanders flashed a broad smile.

“Yeah, I’ve seen a lot,” Sanders said. “When I smile, just know that means something. I’m maturing. I’m maturing. Like, I could have given a decent answer, but now I’m just going to smile whenever it’s just, like, some questions.”

The better approach for Sanders would have been to project a poker face, and to give an answer that did nothing to attract the attention of the Saints’ defense.

So while he says he’s maturing, the ultimate level of maturity would consist of providing the most vanilla answer possible, praising the Saints and explaining that it will be a major challenge to beat them.

Instead, a Browns player has provided the next opponent — for the second straight week — with a little extra incentive.