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We won’t know if Taysom Hill has cleared concussion protocol until the New Orleans Saints injury report updates Wednesday afternoon, but that’s not going to stop us from running the hits. It’s Atlanta Falcons Hate Week.
And what better way to ring it in than reminiscing about that time Hill quarterbacked the Saints to two wins over the Falcons for a season sweep — in just two weeks? With Drew Brees out of action, Hill got the starting nod against Atlanta in Week 11 last year to make his first career start in the NFL.
Hill completed 18 of his 23 pass attempts for 233 passing yards, taking three sacks while running 10 times for 49 rushing yards and a pair of critical second-half touchdown carries in the Saints’ 24-9 victory. The Saints defense did their jobs against Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense, but the Atlanta defense didn’t have answers for Hill.
But we were assured things would go differently in the rematch two weeks later. Hill was too limited to run a full playbook or challenge a real NFL defense after they had time to study the tape, Falcons fans claimed. With more time to prepare, we were assured, Hill wouldn’t experience anything close to his prior success.
They were right. When the Saints visited Atlanta in Week 13 they were held to just 21 points, coming up short by a whole field goal against their score in the first meeting. Saints fans drove and flew home to New Orleans laughing about their team’s 21-16 road win, in which Hill went 27-of-37 for 232 passing yards, throwing two touchdown passes. He took two sacks and ran 14 times for 83 rushing yards.
Fumbles were a problem, sure (he also lost one in the first Falcons game), with Hill putting the ball on the turf three times. But the sorry Falcons defense only recovered one of those turnovers. It led to their sole touchdown in the rematch. Looks like they should have spent more time in the film room.
Maybe Hill starts again on Sunday when the dirty birds visit the Caesars Superdome. That won’t even be considered until he’s recovered from a serious brain injury that’s kept him sidelined for most of October. If he is active, it’s more likely he’ll split time under center with Trevor Siemian. But whatever role Hill ends up with, it sure looks like the Falcons won’t be ready for him.
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