The New Orleans Saints improved to 2-0 under interim head coach Darren Rizzi in their 35-14 Week 11 win over the Cleveland Browns.
Rizzi owes a debt of gratitude to Taysom Hill for the victory. The Saints’ veteran tight end had one of the best games of his career as a do-it-all threat in New Orleans’ offense.
Here’s what to know about Hill’s big performance and the history he made during it.
Taysom Hill stats today
Hill recorded a career-high 15 touches in the Saints Week 11 victory against the Browns. He logged stats as a passer, receiver and runner while serving as the team’s second-highest volume weapon behind Alvin Kamara.
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Below is a look at Hill’s full stat line from Sunday’s game:
Carries: 7
Rushing yards: 138
Rushing TDs: 3
Yards per carry: 19.7
Receptions: 8
Receiving yards: 50
Receiving TDs: 0
Yards per reception: 6.3
Passing yards: 18
Passing TDs: 0
Passer rating: 41.7
Hill made most of his big plays on the ground while serving as the Saints’ No. 2 runner behind Kamara. He had three touchdown runs, including the go-ahead score on a 33-yard fourth-down scamper.
Most of Hill’s production came on zone reads. The Browns frequently crashed down to limit Kamara, which opened lanes outside of which Hill took advantage. That said, the Browns also struggled to stop Hill on designed quarterback runs, during which the big-bodied tight end got downhill quickly with strength. That allowed him to gain yards and find space consistently throughout the contest.
Hill also was an effective safety valve for Derek Carr. He was far and away the team leader in targets, seeing 10 throughout the contest and logging 50 yards.
The lone blemishes in Hill’s performance were an interception on his second (and final) pass attempt of the day and a fumble on a first-down reception inside of the 10-yard line. Aside from that, he was a positive force and logged 200-plus total yards for the first time in the 2024 NFL season.
Most rushing yards in a game by a TE
Hill’s 138-yard performance on the ground set a new rushing record for a tight end. He broke the record with a 75-yard touchdown scamper on the penultimate Saints possession of the contest.
The record Hill broke was his own. He logged 112 rushing yards in the Saints’ 29-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks in 2022 and owns four of the top 10 rushing games recorded by a tight end.
Below is a look at the top single-game rushing performances by a tight end in NFL history, per Stathead.
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: 138 (2024 vs. Browns)
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: 112 (2022 vs. Seahawks)
Willie Frazier, San Diego Chargers: 92 (1970 vs. Packers)
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: 81 (2022 at Falcons)
Pat Curran, Los Angeles Rams: 78 (1970 at Bills)
Jacque MacKinnon, San Diego Chargers: 74 (1964 vs. Broncos)
Keith Byers, Philadelphia Eagles: 68 (1992 at Washington)
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: 61 (2022 vs. Raiders)
Rich Caster, New York Jets: 59 (1976 vs. Washington)
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans: 57 (2019 vs. Texans)
Taysom Hill joins rare 50-50 tight end club
Hill also became just the third tight end since 1950 to record 50 rushing yards and 50 receiving yards in a single game. Here is the full list of players to accomplish that feat.
Keith Byars, Philadelphia Eagles: 68 rushing yards, 57 receiving yards (1992)
Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans: 57 rushing yards, 60 receiving yards (2019)
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints: 138 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards (2024)
Hill also became the first player in the Super Bowl era to record at least 30 rushing touchdowns, 10 receiving touchdowns and 10 passing touchdowns during his career.
The 34-year-old has established himself as one of the NFL’s most unique weapons, and the Saints will continue to reap the rewards of his unorthodox skill set as the season rolls on.