NFL: 5 takeaways from the New Orleans Saints' Week 11 win over the Atlanta Falcons
In what was an impressive display of offensive adjustments by head coach Sean Payton, the New Orleans Saints defeated the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday by a final score of 24-9.
As the Saints move to 8-2, and the Falcons drop to 3-7, here’s what we learned from the game.
5. Julio Jones' Hamstring Might Not Be Fully Healthy Until The Offseason
When it was announced about an hour and a half before kickoff that New Orleans Saints CB Marshon Lattimore would not play due to an abdomen injury, Falcons fans had visions of long touchdown passes to receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley dancing in their heads.
However, the game didn’t really unfold that way, and a large part of that was due to Jones’ hamstring acting up again.
This is the latest incident involving Jones’ troublesome hamstring holding him back from being the player we’ve seen for the last nine seasons. He initially was injured in Week 2, missed Week 3, and then missed Week 6.
The Falcons are running out of time to make a postseason run, even with the seventh playoff team added in each conference, so it will be interesting to see if Atlanta tries to rush Jones back into the lineup if he isn’t fully recovered.
4. Matt Ryan Needs A Better Running Game
While Jones’ absence did not make life easy for Falcons QB Matt Ryan, it is becoming more apparent that he is no longer the type of player who can be relied on to win games week in and week out.
Atlanta has some of the best playmakers at wide receiver in the NFL, and should get them the ball, but they need more production out of their running game.
Todd Gurley was brought in to stabilize and reinvigorate the running game, but he did not provide the Falcons with a lift on Sunday, accounting for only 26 yards on the ground. Reserve RB Brian Hill did not fare much better, only tallying 18 yards against the Saints.
Now in his 13th year in the league, at age 35, Ryan will not be able to bail out the team’s inconsistent running game or subpar defense every time out, so look for the team to possibly invest in a running back early in the 2021 NFL Draft.
3. The Michael Thomas We Know Is Back for the New Orleans Saints
With starting QB Drew Brees historically honing in on star wide receiver Michael Thomas, it was a little bit of an uncertainty as to how Thomas would be featured in a game that was started by a different quarterback.
But as it turned out, the former Ohio State Buckeyes standout had his best game of the season on Sunday, recording 9 catches for 104 yards on 12 targets, with QB Taysom Hill behind center. This performance resolved all doubts about whether Thomas will remain a focal point of the offense, regardless of who is under center for the New Orleans Saints moving forward.
2. Is Jameis Winston’s Future With The Saints Basically Non-Existent?
When it came out earlier this week that Sean Payton had decided to go with Hill instead of Jameis Winston as the starter against the Falcons, it was a mild surprise considering that Winston got most of the playing time against the San Francisco 49ers last week.
It was also a surprise considering that Hill had never started a game in his NFL career, and would get the nod over someone with five seasons of starting experience in the league.
While Hill got the start for the Saints, it was a major question heading into the game as to whether Hill would take every snap, or be used in more of a gadget fashion as he usually is—but Winston didn’t see the light of day on Sunday, which could be a bad sign for his long term future with the Saints, or any other interested team wondering why he was passed over by one of the NFL’s best coaches.
1. Are the Saints Better With Taysom Hill?
As uncomfortable and strange as it is to write that headline, the question does need to be asked. In an era where many of the best teams in the league employ dual-threat quarterbacks, the 30-year-old Taysom Hill allows the Saints to play with a creativity and freedom on offense for 60 minutes that Drew Brees don’t allow for.
Brees has had one of the best careers that any quarterback has ever had, but at this stage of his career, and specifically, for this NFL season, it’s natural to wonder whether Hill’s unique blend of skill wouldn’t be more effective down the stretch and into the playoffs.
We saw how effective Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson was in his first full season starting (when there was minimal tape on him and the Ravens scheme), and the Saints could catch similar lightning in a bottle if they choose to ride Hill for longer than just the minimum remaining two games that Brees is required to miss.