Saints tight end Taysom Hill, known for his versatility, made an important fourth-down conversion with a strong run on a direct snap. However, that was his last play of the game.
After a career-best performance against Cleveland in New Orleans’ last game, Hill was carted off the field with a left knee injury at 4:36 in the fourth quarter as the Saints tried to tie the game against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The Saints moved the ball to the Rams’ 16-yard line after Derek Carr scrambled for a first down. But after three runs by Alvin Kamara gained just 7 yards, edge rusher Jared Verse hit Carr’s arm as he threw the ball on fourth down with 1:09 left, causing it to fall incomplete.
Hill’s injury became a major topic of discussion after the Saints’ 21-14 loss, their first defeat in three games under interim coach Darren Rizzi.
Hill, a fan favorite, waved to the crowd as they chanted his name while he was driven off the field. It’s unclear whether this injury will end his season, but it looked serious, and teammates knelt around him as trainers examined Hill on the field.
“I’m by no means a medical person,” Rizzi said. “I’m not going to go down that road because I’ve heard bad things before and it’s good and I’ve heard good things before and it’s bad. So we’ll just let the medical thing play out.”
With injuries already affecting the Saints (4-8) this season, Hill’s injury could be one of the most damaging. In New Orleans’ previous game, a 35-14 win over Cleveland, Hill rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries, caught eight passes for 50 yards, completed an 18-yard pass, and returned a kickoff for 42 yards.
Despite missing four games this season, Hill is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with six and is second to Kamara in rushing yards with 278, all while playing tight end, quarterback, fullback, and sometimes running back.
“Taysom is a player you don’t see a whole lot in the league. So, having him on your team makes a big difference,” said Saints tight end Juwan Johnson. “It’s not always the best not having him around. We don’t know what’s going on, but at the end of the day it’s not easy.”
If Hill is out for an extended period, the Saints’ offense will be affected. The team has already lost top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for the season.
“We got to change some things around,” said tackle Taliese Fuaga. “Taysom’s a big part of this offense, a big part of this team really in general.”
The injury troubles didn’t end with Hill. Guard Nick Saldiveri was also carted off with a left knee injury shortly before Hill was taken off the field.
Near the end of the third quarter, safety Tyrann Mathieu left the game with a shoulder injury after tackling Rams running back Kyren Williams. However, Mathieu said after the game that he would be fine.
The Saints were already without starting center Erik McCoy, who re-injured his groin during the Week 11 game against Cleveland after missing the first seven games of the season. McCoy could not recover during the Saints’ Week 12 bye.
“I feel like we were able to compartmentalize it,” Carr said. “I thought our focus was good. Nick gets hurt and then Taysom gets hurt and like, the rallying cry is, ‘Let’s do it for them.’ I thought our guys were really focused.”
The Saints were hoping to make a move in the NFC South race. A win would have brought them within a game of first-place Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
However, Carr’s touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and a tying 2-point conversion pass to Dante Pettis early in the fourth quarter weren’t enough. The Rams scored touchdowns on three of their first four second-half possessions and ran out the clock in the final 69 seconds after Carr’s incomplete pass.
“I can’t say the word I want to say because my mom always gets mad when I say it and she texts me every time,” Carr said when asked about his feelings after the game. “But I would say angry, upset because we just expect so much of us as a team. It hurts.”
