3 Takeaways From Saints Victory Over Falcons
The New Orleans Saints (8-2) won 24-9 over the Atlanta Falcons (3-7) inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome Sunday afternoon. In the victory, QB Taysom Hill earned his first career start and led the Saints to their seventh consecutive victory. Below are three takeaways from New Orleans' victory over their NFC South rivals.
Taysom Time in the Second Half
Nov 22, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) runs as Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (97) pursues during the second quarter at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Taysom Hill's first NFL start went according to plan, pushing past the Falcons at home, thanks to a stellar second half. The BYU product had not started a competitive game at QB since 2016, his Senior year at Brigham Young, and did not disappoint in his first NFL start with New Orleans.
The Saints' offense started slowly in the NFC South matchup, committing a three and out on their opening drive and failing to find the end zone until late in the second quarter. However, in the second half, it appeared Taysom Hill had calmed his nerves and led the Saints to two scoring drives, each capped off by a touchdown run by the Swiss Army Knife.
Sean Payton put his trust in Taysom Hill this week after years of singing his praises, and Hill proved to be more than capable of running the Saints' offense. New Orleans picked up 378 total yards, with Hill accounting for 284 of those yards.
Welcome Back, Can't Guard Mike!
Nov 22, 2020; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas (13) catches a pass over Atlanta Falcons free safety Ricardo Allen (37) during the second half at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
2020 for Saints All-Pro WR Michael Thomas has not been a memorable one. The 2019 Offensive Player of the Year injured his ankle back in Week 1 against Tampa Bay and went on to miss 7 weeks to multiple injuries and disciplinary action.
Despite returning to action in each of the last two weeks, Thomas' return has been relatively quiet until Sunday afternoon. In his first career start, Taysom Hill leaned on the former second-round pick completing half of his passes to the Ohio State Buckeye.
Thomas' concluded Sunday's action with season highs across the board, reeling in 9 receptions for 104 yards. The 100-yard performance was Thomas' first since Week 16 of the 2019 season when he set the NFL single-season record for receptions in a season.
Saints Defense is Peaking at the Right Time
The last time New Orleans met Atlanta in the regular season, the Saints carved up the Falcons offensive line collecting 9 sacks on Thanksgiving Day, and this Sunday was not much different. Led by All-Pro DE Cameron Jordan, the Saints totaled 8 sacks of Matt Ryan, including multiple sacks from the D-Line trio of Jordan, Hendrickson, Onyemata.
Since Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season, the Saints defense has been among the league's best in points allowed and total yards. Sunday afternoon, they held Atlanta to under 250 yards, including just 52 on the ground.
Along with the 8 sacks of Matt Ryan, the Saints defense was also opportunistic, holding the 2016 NFL MVP to 0 TDs and 2 or more INTs in a single game for the first time since 2015.
Dennis Allen's unit has made tremendous strides since the beginning of the 2020 season and now appears like a legitimate top-10 defense in the league. With a drastic change in the Saints' offense, it quickly became the defense's job to carry the load and keep the team on their winning ways without Drew Brees. The defense did their job this week, allowing the offense time to iron out the wrinkles. And with their third straight dominant performance, one of the league's best all-around defensive units continues to grow, exactly at the right time.
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