Saints win, 1st to clinch playoff berth
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Taysom Hill finally threw a touchdown pass.
Two of them, in fact.
The Saints defense finally gave up a touchdown.
But not two, which ensured the Saints are headed back to the playoffs for the fourth year in a row.
Hill, above, won another start filling in for injured Drew Brees and the Saints got the big defensive stop they needed in the closing minutes to preserve a 21-16 win over the Falcons on Sunday in Atlanta.
The Saints (10-2) became the first team to clinch a playoff berth with their ninth straight victory and the Bears’ 34-30 loss to Lions.
“Our work’s not done yet,” Saints defensive end Trey Hendrickson said.
The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs were in position to also secure a return trip to the postseason with a victory over the Broncos on Sunday night in a game that ended too late for this edition.
Hill connected with Tre’Quan Smith on a 15-yard touchdown in the opening quarter — the quarterback’s first scoring pass since his senior year at BYU in 2016.
He added another before halftime, zipping an 11-yard pass to tight end Jared Cook in tight coverage.
Hill was 27 of 37 for 232 yards passing. He tacked on 83 yards rushing on 14 carries, including a 43-yard scamper that was the longest run of his career, setting up his first TD pass.
The Falcons drove 85 yards capped by Matt Ryan’s 10-yard TD pass to Russell Gage with 7:43 remaining. The Saints hadn’t allowed a TD since the opening drive of a game against 49ers on Nov. 15.
The Falcons (4-8) got the ball back and again pushed deep into Saints territory. On second-and-2 at the Saints 13, Todd Gurley was stuffed for no gain. He got the ball again on third down for a sweep, but Demario Davis caught him for a 7-yard loss.