Taysom Hill was visibly frustrated after two early mistakes against the Cleveland Browns, so New Orleans Saints interim head coach Darren Rizzi took a moment to reassure him.
“He was taking it personal, and I just told him at halftime, ‘You’re going to keep getting the ball, so we need you,’” Rizzi said. “Thankfully, he made some big runs for us.”
Hill had a career-high 138 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, including a 75-yard run for a score, helping the Saints win 35-14 over the Browns on Sunday. This victory gave the Saints a 2-0 record under Rizzi.
Hill’s other two touchdowns were 10 and 33 yards — the second one coming on a fourth-and-short situation — which helped make up for the deep interception he threw and the fumble he lost.
“It was one of those things where I had to take a step back and realize there’s nothing I can do about it now,” Hill said. “So, I just focused on doing what I could to help us win the game. Luckily, I kept getting opportunities.”
The 34-year-old Hill also completed an 18-yard pass and returned a kickoff for 42 yards. He totaled 50 yards receiving on eight catches, bringing his overall yardage to 248 combined yards as a runner, passer, receiver, and returner.
“He didn’t look 34. He looked more like he was 24 today,” said Rizzi, comparing Hill’s all-around ability to Harold “Red” Grange, a Chicago Bears legend from almost a century ago.
“He’s ageless,” Rizzi added, referencing Hill’s breakaway speed on his long runs. “He keeps himself in incredible shape.”
Derek Carr threw for 248 yards and two touchdowns for the Saints (4-7), including a 71-yard catch and run by Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
Jameis Winston, returning to the Browns (2-8) after playing there for the last four seasons, passed for 395 yards and two touchdowns. His scoring throws included a short pass that Jerry Jeudy turned into an 89-yard touchdown.
Winston also connected with Elijah Moore for a 30-yard touchdown pass and hit tight end David Njoku for a 2-point conversion that tied the game at 14 in the third quarter, before the Saints pulled away in the final moments.
“We have to play clean in all three phases of the game, and we didn’t do that, especially in the fourth quarter,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said. “When you lose like this by 21 points, you don’t feel good about anything.”
Jeudy finished with six catches for 142 yards, the most of anyone in the game.
The Saints rushed for 214 yards as a team, with Alvin Kamara contributing 67 yards on 16 carries.
Hill praised offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak, saying, “He called a great game. He created a lot of unique opportunities for me to make plays. The more we do this, the harder it becomes for teams to defend us.”
