The New Orleans Saints hosted the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11 looking to hold onto the NFC’s No. 1 seed. With quarterback Drew Brees nursing his rib injuries, Taysom Hill got the start under center.
The Saints took down their division rivals 24-9. Hill completed all but five of his passes for 233 yards while adding 51 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
New Orleans’ rushing attack was as balanced as it’s been all season with running backs Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray receiving 13 and 14 touches, respectively. Kamara recorded 45 rushing yards and a touchdown but did not have a catch while Murray had 85 total yards.
Third-round tight end Adam Trautman led all tight ends in snaps and caught his only target for 19 yards in the first quarter. He also saw nine snaps on special teams. Trautman was the highest-graded offensive rookie in Week 11 according to Pro Football Focus.
Undrafted rookie receiver Marquez Callaway was on offense for eight snaps but was mainly used as a returner. He returned three punts for 18 yards and a kick return for 20 yards.
Third-round linebacker Zack Baun played three snaps on defense and 18 on special teams. Undrafted defensive tackle Malcolm Roach was inactive.
Cesar Ruiz, the Saints 1st round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft, played 60 of the offense’s 66 snaps at guard. He looked more relaxed and had a much better outing. He also got some work on special teams, logging five snaps.
It was a dominant performance for the Saints on both sides of the ball. Hill filled in for Brees nicely and the defense racked up eight sacks on Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan, one shy of tying the franchise record.
The Saints travel to Denver to take on the Broncos in Week 12. New Orleans will again look to retain the conference’s top seed as the regular season nears its end.
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