The New Orleans Saints’ frustrating 24-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 12 left plenty of players searching for answers. Few, though, were as candid as Taysom Hill. After a costly offensive meltdown near the goal line, Hill called one critical sequence “disappointing.” He also admitted he wishes he had secured a snap that helped derail one of the Saints’ best scoring opportunities of the afternoon.
That disastrous moment came midway through the second quarter. The Saints operated from shotgun near the 1-yard line. A high snap sailed over Hill’s head, forcing him to scramble backward to recover the ball. In the chaos, he committed an intentional grounding penalty. That wiped out the promising drive and pushed New Orleans into an eventual field goal. Failing to convert on that near-touchdown opportunity proved enormously costly.
Hill didn’t hide from the mistake afterward. He called it part of a broader “disappointing game” in which the offense repeatedly failed to capitalize. This wasn’t the Saints’ only red-zone failure. Earlier, they reached the 1-yard line on another drive. However, they stalled and settled for a field goal. The loss of Alvin Kamara to a knee injury early in the game magnified the pressure on Hill and Devin Neal to carry the rushing attack. The results were uneven at best.
The Saints’ offensive inconsistency has now become a season-long pattern. Despite a disappointing 2-9 record, though, New Orleans remains mathematically alive in the NFC South. They no longer have any margin for error, though.
Hill’s season has mirrored the team’s overall struggles. Returning from an ACL injury, he has been used sparingly behind Tyler Shough. Hill has produced mixed results in limited snaps. Week 12 saw him log a season-high 10 rushing attempts but only 17 yards. Hill’s accountability is admirable. However, the Saints need far more than words to save their season.
