Saints at Falcons score: Taysom Hill leads New Orleans to another win with career day as Matt Ryan struggles

For the second time in only three weeks, things got underway between the New Orleans Saints and the Atlanta Falcons, and it was as tense as you'd expect before the former walked away from the latter with a 21-16 win at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. As interim head coach Raheem Morris tries to make a final push toward landing the full-time gig in 2021, avoiding a sweep at the hands of Taysom Hill would've gone a long way in helping his cause, but he couldn't split the season series against Drew Brees' temporary replacement, who had a career day on the ground and in the air.

Hill made the Falcons pay for a blitz in the first quarter that led to a career-long 43-yard run followed by the first touchdown pass of his NFL career to give the Saints a lead they'd never relinquish, despite leaving points on the field at several times during the game. They'd brush off a missed field goal by Will Lutz and a failed conversion on fourth-and-7 in Atlanta territory when head coach Sean Payton seemingly lost some faith in Lutz, but the Falcons were relegated to field goals only on Sunday -- allowing New Orleans time to clean up their mistakes en route to victory and the first team in 2020 to clinch a playoff berth. 

The Falcons were able to shrink the deficit to just one point after a second field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo, but Hill replied with his second career passing touchdown just ahead of halftime before leading the Saints on a seven-play, 75-yard drive to open the third quarter that was punctuated by an 11-yard touchdown scamper from Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara. 

From there, the Falcons attempted to battle back with their first touchdown of the game in the middle of the fourth from Matt Ryan to wideout Russell Gage, but it was too little, too late. 

Why the Saints won

So you're saying Hill is actually a quarterback? 

Surprise surprise, NFL. The Saints have been hinting at Hill having the ability to throw the ball for a long time now, and not simply here and there on gadget plays. Still, until this point, the league hadn't seen it result in any touchdowns at the professional level, but that all changed in Week 13. Hill had not just one, but two touchdowns against the Falcons, marking the first and second of his career. He looked poised in the pocket but also keenly aware of when to escape, rushing for a career-best 83 yards on the day, which added up to more than all three of the Falcons running backs combined. At halftime, Hill had already thrown for 60 more yards than Ryan and his passer rating was nearly 52 points higher, damaging Atlanta as a true dual-threat QB that helped fuel the time of possession victory for the Saints.

Morris and his coaching staff did figure out how to clamp down on Hill in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter though, forcing two consecutive key three-and-outs that gave the Falcons a chance to take the lead for the first time and the win, but it was not to be. Unable to get the offense going for much of the game and unable to figure out Hill, the Falcons suffer the 2020 sweep and the Saints punch their ticket to the tournament in January.

Why the Falcons lost

It was an ... up Hill ... battle for Atlanta from minute one.

They entered the game feeling like they had a better grasp of how to contain Drew Brees' backup, having played him two games prior and having not seen anything definitive that would threaten their secondary. In grand Sean Payton fashion, however, that's exactly what Hill was schemed to do. A few key pass break ups aside, Hill mostly outplayed Ryan throughout the game and it wasn't until the late fourth quarter that the latter finally overtook the former in passing yardage, thanks to primetime catches from Russell Gage, Calvin Ridley and Julio Jones. But the problem was the defense had been pleading with their offensive counterparts all game to wake up and deploy long drives that also ended in touchdowns, but instead, the Falcons could muster only one touchdown and three field goals.

That wasn't enough to overcome Hill having a career day in both touchdowns and rushing yards, and by the time the Falcons got Todd Gurley involved, he was of no consequence. Unable to establish the run and with struggles in the passing attack for 3.5 quarters, the Falcons deserve credit for taking the Saints to the wire when they could've laid down and died; but they also deserve a ton of criticism for not waking up until the last minute.

Turning Point

It didn't take long to see which play would dictate the outcome of the game. It was when Hill dropped back to deliver his first career NFL touchdown, something that hinted strongly at how Payton would challenge him to outplay Ryan with his arm. He'd go on to do just that, including tossing his second career NFL touchdown later in the game -- accounting for two of the Saints' three TDs on the day (with his arm and not his legs).

Opposing defenses must now account for what he can also do in the air, as the Falcons found out the hard way.

Play of the Game

Yes, the Falcons lost, but this catch by Calvin Ridley is downright ridiculous.

Still a chance for Morris?

"I know they didn't win today, but I think Raheem Morris will get serious consideration for the Falcons permanent HC job. It might even be a fait accompli." - NFL analyst and former scout Gil Brandt

What's next

The Saints will put their nine-game win streak on the line against the floundering Philadelphia Eagles in Week 14, while the head west to take on the Los Angeles Chargers. 

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