Saints win second straight behind Hill’s huge day

By Ross Jackson

NEW ORLEANS —It’s Taysom Hill’s world, and we’re all just living in it. The New Orleans Saints do-it-all tight end literally did it all in the team’s, 35-14, win over the Cleveland Browns. The Saints are now 2-0 under Interim Head Coach Darren Rizzi, and you can feel the energy and life he has brought back to this team which has competed very well over the last two weeks.

No one should be punching their tickets to the playoffs or anything just yet, but they are most certainly a new team built on aggression, explosiveness and patience. 

Hill led the way with three rushing touchdowns and 206 all-purpose yards. The Swiss Army knife also completed a pass and had a 42-yard kickoff return to boot.

The game got so far out of hand that Willie Gar Jr. was waving good-bye across the field at the Browns bench after Hill’s 75-yard rushing touchdown which pushed the scoring gap to 35-14.

After going three-and-out five times in the final six drives last week against the Atlanta Falcons, the Saints instead scored touchdowns on three of their five second-half drives against the Browns, excluding the kneel down drive to wrap up the game.

It wasn’t a game where everything went perfectly, and that’s good news for New Orleans. They had to navigate some adversity in the middle two quarters but came out on top by the time it was all said and done. Last week, New Orleans won the game with the defense on the field. This week backup quarterback Jake Haener came on to take the kneel downs on offense to wrap it up. 

Rizzi’s early audition for the full-time roll is off to a good start, and he has his guys playing as well as they have despite being undermanned from where they were to start the season.

The Plays:

• Hill ran in the game’s first score on the Saints’ opening drive. It was a 10-yard touchdown run.
• Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling broke open a huge 71-yard catch-and-run for the team’s second touchdown.
• Hill ran for a patient and explosive 33 yards to retake the lead for New Orleans 21-14. The touchdown run was the longest rush for any Saints player since 2022.
• Tight end Juwan Johnson got in on the action with a 1-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Derek Carr. 
• Hill just couldn’t stop. He also added a 75-yard touchdown run to solidify the already cemented win.

The Injuries:

• Tight end Foster Moreau was evaluated for a shoulder injury after a hard fall on his back. He was able to return to play. An independent neurological consultant also went into the tent with him. 
• Center Erik McCoy, who had just made his return from groin surgery, left the game with a groin injury and was listed as questionable to return. Shane Lemieux finished the game at center for the Saints.

The Stats:

• Hill produced in a multitude of ways
  • 7 rushes for 138 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns
  • 1 completion for an 18-yard completion (one interception as well)
  • 8 receptions for 50 receiving yards (one fumble lost)
  • 42 kick return yards
  • He added a tackle as well after the fumble
• Carr took everything he wanted against the Browns defense, completing 77.8% of his passes.
• The Saints averaged 7.6 yards per carry on the ground while limiting the Cleveland run game to just 3.3 yards per carry.
• Linebacker Demario Davis looked like his usual self with 13 total tackles including one for a loss and added two passes defended.
• Defensive tackle Bryan Bresee finished with 1.5 sacks in this game. For the second-straight week the Saints defense finished with 3 total sacks.
• New Orleans had only four active wide receivers this week, but the tight ends showed up big in the passing game. Hill, Juwan Johnson and Foster Moreau combined for 130 receiving yards and a touchdown catch.