We’ve already talked about how important Taysom Hill is to the New Orleans Saints offense — but his history against this week’s opponent can’t be understated. You’d be hard-pressed to find a player in recent memory who has outplayed Hill when the Atlanta Falcons are lined up against him. Saints head coach Dennis Allen said Wednesday that Hill is expected to play Sunday against the Falcons after missing last week’s game with a chest injury.
The Saints are 10-4 in games with Atlanta when Hill was available, and he’s been a critical piece to their success. Hill has logged 62 carries against the Falcons at 7.1 yards per attempt, a total of 438 yards on the ground. That’s more than anyone has put up against Atlanta since 2018 except for Hill’s Saints teammate Alvin Kamara (768). He’s tied with Ezekiel Elliiott and D’Onta Foreman for the most touchdown runs scored on them, too (4).
He’s also made plays through the air. Hill has caught all 10 targets thrown his way in games with the Falcons, gaining exactly 100 yards and scoring a touchdown. And when asked to throw he’s gone 57-of-75 for 702 yards and 4 touchdowns, without a single interception. Add all that up and Hill has touched the ball 147 times across 14 games, totaling 1,240 all-purpose yardage while scoring 9 touchdowns. He’s only turned the ball over three times, all fumbles.
So he’s returning to his team at the right time. The Saints are dealing with a ton of adversity after injuries hit them hard in Week 3’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Getting Hill back in the lineup could be just the shot in the arm they need to power through those challenges. It’s a team sport, to be sure, but having such an impactful individual like Hill back out there should be reassuring for the rest of the offense.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5]