Taysom Hill was as effective as fans could hope for in his first start for the New Orleans Saints, leading the team to a victory over the NFC South-rival Atlanta Falcons. Hill showed the growth as a passer that everyone has been hoping for, completing 18 of 23 passes for 233 yards, though his first career touchdown pass eluded him.
However, Hill made up for it with two scoring runs and a team-leading 51 rushing yards on 10 carries. He bullied his smaller Falcons opponents on defense with a combination of size and speed that they struggled to match, especially in the open field, though you’d like to see him secure the ball a little more cleanly. A late fumble at the end of a run deep into Atlanta territory put Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan in position to pad his stats in garbage time, though the Saints defense spoiled that effort with a Janoris Jenkins interception.
There’s plenty for Hill to build on moving forwards, and he’ll get some great opportunities to continue developing his craft next week against the Denver Broncos and again in the following week’s rematch with this same sorry Falcons team.
