New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill (7) goes down with an injury during the second half of an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams, Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Do-it-all Saints tight end Taysom Hill converted a key fourth down with another physical run on a direct snap — and that was his last play of the afternoon.
Coming off a career-best performance against Cleveland in New Orleans’ previous game, Hill was carted off the field with a left knee injury at the 4:36 mark of the fourth quarter as New Orleans tried to drive for a tying touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.
The Saints picked up another first down on Derek Carr’s scramble to the Rams 16, but after three Alvin Kamara runs netted 7 yards, edge rusher Jared Verse hit Carr’s arm as he threw on fourth down with 1:09 left, and the ball fluttered to the ground.
Hill’s status was as much a topic of conversation as the 21-14 defeat — the Saints’ first in three games under interim coach Darren Rizzi.
Hill, a fan favorite, waved to the crowd as it chanted his name as he was driven off the field. Whether it was the last time the 34-year-old will play this year remains to be seen. But it looked serious as teammates knelt nearby while 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.”
In a season full of injuries for the Saints (4-8), this one could be as damaging as any. During the Saints’ previous game — a 35-14 victory over the Browns — Hill rushed for 138 yards and three touchdowns on seven carries, caught eight passes for another 50 yards, completed an 18-yard pass and returned a kickoff 42 yards.
Despite having missed four games this season, he is tied for the team lead in rushing touchdowns with six and is second to Kamara in yards rushing with 278 while playing tight end, quarterback, fullback and occasionally lining up as a 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,” Saints tight end Juwan Johnson said. “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 offense will not be the same. The Saints already have lost top receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed for the year.
“We got to change some things around,” tackle Taliese Fuaga said. “Taysom’s a big part of this offense, a big part of this team really in general.”
The banged-up Saints lost a couple more players because of injuries. Shortly before Hill departed, guard Nick Saldiveri also was carted off with a left knee injury.
Near the end of the third quarter, safety Tyrann Mathieu exited with a shoulder injury after tackling Rams running back Kyren Williams, although Mathieu said after the game that he would be OK.
New Orleans already was without starting center Erik McCoy, who re-injured a groin against Cleveland in Week 11 after missing the previous seven games and 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 climb back in the NFC South race. A win would have moved them within a game of first-place Atlanta and Tampa Bay.
Instead, Carr’s touchdown pass to Marquez Valdes-Scantling and tying 2-point conversion on a pass to Dante Pettis early in the fourth quarter were not enough.
The Rams scored touchdowns on three of their first four second-half possessions and ran out the final 69 seconds after Carr’s forced incompletion.
“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 how he felt after the game. “But I would say angry, upset because we just expect so much of us as a team. It hurts.”
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
By GUERRY SMITH
Associated Press