New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees remains sidelined due to a recently sustained collapsed lung and multiple rib fractures which led him to be placed on the team's injured reserve list. Saints head coach Sean Payton turned to the versatile Taysom Hill to lead the team's offense in lieu of the veteran's extended absence.

Although Payton's decision to start Hill over Jameis Winston was met with a bevy of disagreement from critics, Brees backed it up and spoke that Hill was deserving to get where he is right now in his career, given his undying team-first mentality.

“Patience and perseverance is exactly right. The ultimate team player,” he told ESPN. “Think about all the roles he has played for us over the last few years to help us win. A real testament to his commitment and willingness to sacrifice for the team [in addition to] his work ethic and desire to constantly improve.

“A lot of mental toughness and fortitude.”

Taysom Hill has been a mainstay on the New Orleans-based squad since he was claimed off waivers after going undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. He has willingly played any position that he was tasked to do and appeared in QB/RB/WR/TE/FB/special teams roles all throughout his four-year stint with the Saints.

In Week 11, the 30-year-old Hill finally made his first appearance as the team's starter in their most recent tilt against the Atlanta Falcons. He came out with an impressive performance of 233 yards on an 18/23 passing clip.

His performance ultimately led the Saints to impose their will against their struggling counterparts via a 24-9 outcome. The team extended their win streak to seven games to nab first place in the NFC South division with an 8-2 record.

With Brees likely to be ruled out for a couple more games, the Saints will continue to lean on Taysom Hill's productivity under center as they head to the latter stages of the season. He will once again be tested in their upcoming encounter against the Denver Broncos in Week 12 proceedings.