The #Saints are headed to the playoffs!!! ⚜️ pic.twitter.com/DAu3I1jo9o
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 6, 2020
It got a little dicey down the stretch, but the New Orleans Saints made enough plays and caught enough breaks to sweep the Atlanta Falcons with a 21-16 final score, improve to 10-2 on the year so far, and clinch a spot in the playoffs.
For now, that playoff berth is the first seed in the NFC, carrying a valuable first-round bye week. Not bad for a team starting a tight end at quarterback, to hear some experts tell it.
And what a day that tight end had. Taysom Hill had his most impressive game as a passer yet, going 27-of-37 for 232 passing yards and a pair of touchdown passes to Tre’Quan Smith and Jared Cook. Hill also had his longest career rushing attempt (a 43-yard gain), totaling 83 yards on the ground off of 14 carries. His passing numbers would have been even better if Smith and Cook hadn’t dropped several targets early on, but it’s to their credit that they each rebounded for Hill’s first career touchdown passes.
But enough about the Saints offense: the defense won this matchup, limiting the Falcons offense to just 16 points and forcing a punt or turnover on downs on half of Atlanta’s possessions. The pass rush only got to Matt Ryan three times on the afternoon, but they were critical stops that help snuff out the Falcons’ comeback rally late in the fourth quarter. It’s a performance they can hang their hats on.
Meanwhile, around the NFC; the Saints needed some help from the Detroit Lions to secure a playoff berth, and interim coach Darrell Bevell’s team came through to upset the Chicago Bears 34-30. That was enough to put the Saints over the time, and now they’re guaranteed to at least own a wild card seed once it’s all said and done. A couple more wins should seal up the NFC South and a playoff game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, and maybe the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye week.
