Taysom Hill’s rare moment in the spotlight came in an important game for the New Orleans Saints.
Hill blocked a punt to set up his three-yard touchdown catch before scoring again on a 30-yard run as the Saints clinched their third straight National Football Conference South title by beating the Atlanta Falcons 26-18 on Thursday.
Hill stole the show on a roster filled with more established stars.
Photo: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY
“When you have guys like Mike Thomas, Alvin Kamara, Jared Cook, the list goes on, it kind of creates opportunities for little old me because it creates so much attention that’s put on those guys,” Hill said. “Coach [Sean Payton] is one of the best at being creative and putting guys in positions to be successful. I got lucky because I was that guy tonight.”
The Saints (10-2) atoned for their 26-9 home loss to the Falcons on Nov. 10, their only defeat in their past 10 games.
With Julio Jones inactive due to a shoulder injury, the Falcons had too little offense to keep pace with Drew Brees and the Saints. Atlanta recovered two onside kicks in the closing minutes, including one with 1 minute, 54 seconds remaining, to make things interesting.
Photo: AFP
Matt Ryan was sacked by Cameron Jordan on a fourth-down play from the New Orleans 44 with 38 seconds remaining. Ryan was sacked nine times, including four by Jordan.
“We had to drop back and pass at the end of the game,” Ryan said. “When you do that and there’s really no threat of run, it’s tough sledding, particularly when you’re going against a good defense, a very good defensive line and one of the better pass rushers in the game in Cam Jordan.”
The versatile Hill blocked Ryan Allen’s punt to end Atlanta’s first possession. The Saints took over at the Falcons 30 and four plays later Hill scored his first touchdown on a short pass from Brees.
Hill took a direct snap and ran 30 yards for his first rushing touchdown of the season to give New Orleans a 17-6 lead late in the first half.
“If I can step on the field eight to 10 to 15 times, whatever that number is, my goal is to add a spark whenever I can,” Hill said.
“I love to be able to go in and add some energy,” he said.
The disappointing Falcons (3-9) solidified their hold on last place in the division with their second straight home loss.
Elsewhere, the Buffalo Bills tightened their grip on an American Football Conference playoff spot and moved a step closer to first place in their division with a 26-15 victory over the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys scored a touchdown on their opening drive in front of the Dallas crowd of 76,000, but then the Bills’s defense took charge.
Quarterback Josh Allen completed 12 consecutive passes at one point as Buffalo improved to 9-3 for the season. Allen finished with 231 passing yards and a touchdown. He completed 19 passes to seven different receivers and also ran in for another touchdown.
The win left Buffalo 1.5 games behind the first-place New England Patriots, who are to play in Houston tomorrow.
Chicago’s Mitchell Trubisky hit David Montgomery for three touchdowns including a go-ahead score in the fourth as the Bears beat the Detroit Lions 24-20.
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