Dec 2, 2021; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) calls for the ball as he looks over the Dallas Cowboys defense during the first half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
NFLBy Matt Clapp on

Taysom Hill finally got the start at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, just a week after signing an eye-opening contract extension. And it didn’t go well.

Hill threw four interceptions in a 27-17 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, and the final two interceptions were particularly rough.

With just under five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Hill rolled out and tried to complete a pass downfield, but he badly underthrew the ball and made it an easy play for Defensive Player of the Year candidate Trevon Diggs. It’s already interception No. 9 on the season for Diggs, and he’d have even more if the opportunities were regularly this easy.

Just two minutes later, Hill had an even more embarrassing interception. This one was a pick-six thrown right into the hands of 305-pound defensive tackle Carlos Watkins.

Overall, Hill completed 19-of-41 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns, the four interceptions, and a 44.2 passer rating. The yards, touchdowns, and passer rating were also artificially inflated by Deonte Harris incredibly turning a short pass into a 70-yard touchdown shortly after the interceptions, with the game out of reach.

Now, Hill did make a big impact in the run game, with 11 carries for 101 yards.

But to play the quarterback position effectively, Hill needs to be much, much better as a passer- or else he may be no more than a poor man’s Jalen Hurts. What Hill showed as a passer on Thursday night isn’t exactly a shock to many NFL evaluators, despite how much Sean Payton and the New Orleans organization believe in him.

https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1466632089260806144

And Hill is 31 years old, so it’s not like we’re talking about a young quarterback here.

His dual-threat (or at least running threat) ability may make him more valuable than at least the Trevor Siemians of the world, but that’s a very low bar.

The 5-7 Saints are a long way from returning to contention without significant improvements at the position in a quarterback’s league.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.

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