Taysom Hill's season-ending knee injury says it all about hexed Saints 2024 season

It figures.

There the already injury-hampered Saints were limping to a possible third straight win under energizing interim coach Darren Rizzi Sunday afternoon at an enlivening Superdome. Down 21-14 to the Los Angeles Rams, they had driven 34 yards in six plays to a 4th-and-1 at the Rams 36 with 4:49 to play.

And naturally, they called No. 7. TE/RB/QB Taysom Hill took a shotgun snap at quarterback and got just what the Saints needed — 2 yards and a first down. But cornerback Cobie Durant's low hit right on Hill's left knee as he planted it with outside linebacker Jared Verse grabbing him from behind buckled the knee backward and to the left. Hill jerked his head back immediately in pain and was soon carted off the field as players from both teams approached the cart to wish the highly respected, eight-year veteran well.

The gruesome play that ended Hill's season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee resembled San Francisco defensive back Kermit Alexander's tackle of Chicago halfback great Gale Sayers in 1968 in which Sayers suffered ruptured cartilage and two torn ligaments in this right knee to end his season. He returned in 1969 and played through 1971, but never had the same quickness.

Hill put the Saints in position to win with that fourth down conversion, but they couldn't finish the drive. After Alvin Kamara gained nine yards on two carries, quarterback Derek Carr converted a 3rd-and-1 with a 9-yard scramble for a first down at the Rams' 16-yard line with 2:41 to go. After three more Kamara runs for 7 yards, the Hill-less Saints faced a 4th-and-3 at the 9 with 1:13 to go, but Verse sacked Carr for a 9-yard loss. And it was over for the Saints and Hill.

New Orleans dropped to 4-8 and would most likely have to finish 5-0 with some help to make the playoffs. Hill, 34, suffered his second season-ending knee injury with the first one while he was Brigham Young's quarterback.

"Looks like it's going to be season ending for him unfortunately," Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi said Monday. "It looks like an ACL tear."

Since 2021, Hill has been sidelined with multiple concussions, a foot injury and rib and chest injuries that sat him for three games early this season.

If this was the last of Hill, he will go out after his best game as a pro just last week when he rushed seven times for 138 yards and a 19.7 average with touchdowns of 75, 33 and 10 yards, caught eight passes for 50 yards, completed an 18-yard pass, and had 42 kick return yards.

"Your heart just breaks," Carr said. "It is bigger than football at the moment - his family, his kids, his wife, everybody."

Hill was actually asked just last week how much longer he intends on playing.

"I don't know," he said. "We'll see."

Hill became the second major offensive weapon to be lost for the season and was already the fourth top offensive starter to miss significant time. He had five catches for 37 yards Sunday and finishes the season with 187 receiving yards on 23 catches and 278 rushing yards on 39 carries with six touchdowns.

"He fills so many different roles," Rizzi said. "There is going to be a lot of different guys that we're going to have to be a part of the solution there."

The Saints have been trying to find solutions to the lost impact of injured players all season. How much better than 4-8 would the Saints be without the following three key losses in addition to Hill?

1. Rashid Shaheed

The Saints previously lost wide receiver Rashid Shaheed for the season to a knee injury suffered in the loss to Tampa Bay on Oct. 13. He left with 20 catches for 349 yards and three touchdowns of 70, 59 and 43 yards in six games. He also led the NFL in punt return average at 15.9 yards and had a 28.5-yard average on kickoff returns. Shaheed caught 46 passes for 719 yards and five touchdowns last season and 28 for 488 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie in 2022.

2. Chris Olave

Olave, who like Shaheed is just blossoming in his third season, has missed four games this year with two concussions and has 32 catches for 400 yards and one touchdown. He missed the last three consecutive games. If he returns at all, it will not be until week 15 against Washington on Dec. 15. Olave was coming off two solid seasons — 72 catches for 1,042 yards and four TDs as a rookie in 2022 and 87 catches for 1,123 yards and five TDs last year.

3. Erik McCoy

The Saints were 2-0 and rolling with one of the NFL's top offenses until McCoy injured his groin early in their third game against Philadelphia and had surgery. New Orleans was never the same again, lost seven straight, and coach Dennis Allen got fired before McCoy finally returned to action in the win over Cleveland last week. He played most of that game, but reinjured the groin and did not play Sunday against the Rams. With McCoy playing all or most of the game, the Saints are 3-0. Without him for most or all of the game, they are 0-8.