The New Orleans Saints finally got back in the win column after three straight losses and they have Taysom Hill to thank for it. The Swiss Army knife did it all for New Orleans in their 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks and the black and gold need to make sure he's involved in the playcalling in future games because the guy makes a major impact.
Check out this tweet from NFL Research on just how dominant Hill truly was.
Taysom Hill is 1 of 3 players since 1950 with 3+ rush TD, 100+ rush yards and a pass TD in a single game.
— NFL Research (@NFLResearch) October 9, 2022
He joins Ronnie Brown (2008) and LaDainian Tomlinson (2005).#Saints @Saints
Yeah, it was a good day for Hill and the NOLA offense. Let's start there with our takeaways.
Saints offense is better with Taysom Hill on the field
Hill finished this game with a touchdown pass for 22 yards, three rushing touchdowns, and tallied nearly 70 yards on kickoff returns. He did fumble a return early in the game but recovered it to avoid disaster. The guy was absolutely on fire.
Taysom Hill today for Saints:
— Mike Triplett (@MikeTriplett) October 9, 2022
9 carries, 112 yards, 3 TDs (including a 60-yarder)
1-1 passing for 22 yards and a TD
3 kickoff returns for 69 yards
Fumble recovery on botched punt
What's wrong with the defense?
Saints fans figured that the offense would be able to get things going against a bad Seahawks defense but the hope was that the defense could slow down what's been an explosive Seattle offense led by Geno Smith. They did not do that.
New Orleans allowed for Smith to throw for three touchdowns, gave up over 100 yards to Tyler Lockett along with two scores, and surrendered over 150 rushing yards. The big plays are what crushed this defense, as they continued to let the receivers get all alone and then set them up to make a big play.
Cam Jordan stepped up when the defense most needed him to but otherwise, this was an ugly outing for the NOLA defense.
These big plays being allowed are CONCERNING.
— John Hendrix (@JohnJHendrix) October 9, 2022
Big game from Kamara
Typically after a performance like the one he put on for the Saints on Sunday, Alvin Kamara would have been the player of the game but that award obviously goes to Taysom Hill. Kamara was dominant though, rushing for 103 yards off of 23 carries while grabbing six catches for 91 yards.
The only bad thing from Kamara was a first-half fumble that allowed the Seahawks to score points. Otherwise, Kamara played a near-perfect game.
AK has almost 200 yards from scrimmage today, including his first 100-yard rushing game of the season
— Luke Johnson (@ByLukeJohnson) October 9, 2022
This was a must-win game for the New Orleans Saints and with the Falcons dropping their game to the Buccaneers, NOLA now moves from last place in the NFC South to second place due to their head-to-head win over Atlanta. This was a season-saving victory for the good guys.
Next up for the black and gold is a home game against the Joe Burrow-led Bengals. That one should be fun.