New Orleans Saints 29 - 6 New York Jets I really don’t have much to say about this one, except that everything feels like it’s going in the right direction for the Kellen Moo re-led New Orleans Saints. The offense still looked good with numerous starters out, Brandon Staley has the defense humming, and Charlie Smyth appears to be the answer to the long-term kicking issues. Considering where I and a lot of this fanbase felt about this team at the halfway point of the season, I think the Saints have significantly outplayed all expectations and have instilled hope into the city. Taysom Hill Taysom Hill fumbled on the first drive for the Saints, adding to a slew of ball control issues he has had this season. When that happened, I ended up texting my friends, “It’s time for the Saints to Old Yeller Taysom Hill”. Taysom Hill, if you are, for whatever reason, possibly reading this, just know I firmly retract that statement and appreciate how much you made me eat my own words. After the fumble, Taysom Hill ran for another 30+ yards, had 36 receiving yards, and even threw a touchdown bomb to Chris Olave on the last drive of the game. In this game, where everyone in the fanbase on X (Twitter) decided it was time for him to retire, he ended up having the most touches he’s ever had in a game and helped the Saints immensely on offense. I stand corrected on Taysom Hill no longer being able to be a threat, and I am happy that I was wrong. I wonder if he gets even more touches against the Titans next week, and if he can also have a similar performance against the Falclowns and potentially end his Saints career on a true high. In addition, this performance led to Taysom Hill being the only player in the NFL Super Bowl era to have 1000 yards passing, rushing, and receiving. This leads me to truly believe he belongs in the Hall of Fame as the greatest utility tool the league has ever seen, and I’m curious to see if he ever gets the chance at a gold jacket. Brandon Staley’s Defense I’m going to start this section by giving a huge shoutout to Cam Jordan. With his two sacks, he now has eight and a half sacks on the season and earned himself an extra $800,000 in incentives in this game. He has truly reemerged as a solid rotational piece for the pass rush, which leads me to hope he’s back for one more season as a Saint to compete for the divisional title next year. Another guy who has surprised me this season is Nathan Shepherd, who had a sack and forced fumble in this one. Although his box score numbers don’t look that great, defensive tackles’ (except for the all-pro level ones) performances are never really evaluated by those. He has played extremely well in the run game this season and has also provided a solid amount of pressure from the middle of the pocket. To no surprise, Chase Young had another great game and clutch sack, adding to his stellar season after an injury during training camp. If the Saints can hit in the draft on an EDGE or DT, this defensive line could be a spark for success next season. In addition to the defensive line, the secondary is playing at a much higher level than expected. Although they did play a Brady Cook-led offense in this game, it was great to see the young defensive backs deliver multiple strong performances as the season continues. Jonas Sanker had a great interception and pass breakup, Quincy Riley seemed to shut down receivers in his coverage, Kool-Aid McKinstry had a few good tackles, and Justin Reid really stepped up as a veteran presence. The secondary held the Jets to three yards per pass, exactly what you want to see against a poor offense that has been struggling to find anything successful. Demario Davis is still playing like an all-pro at the ripe age of 36. He has been shooting through gaps and blowing up running backs all season long, and he’s about to turn 37. If he can continue this level of play through the end of the season, I see no reason why the Saints should not confidently bring him back as a key piece of the defense next season. He is one of four linebackers in the NFL playing at his age, yet he is playing like some of the best linebackers in the league that are five or more years younger. He is simply nothing short of incredible. The Offense Tyler Shough led this offense to seven scoring drives, even though the team is missing numerous starters to injury. The two names everyone knew needed to step up with Devaughn Vele down, Chris Olave and Juwan Johnson, rose to the occasion with massive performances. Chris Olave had 10 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns, which is one of the best performances he’s had in his young career. In addition to these stats, he almost brought down another touchdown, although the defender was able to rip it away last second as they went to the ground. Juwan Johnson was also a huge contributor, finishing the day with eight catches for 89 yards. Shough and Johnson have formed a very solid connection, one that, if they can continue to build on, will be really fun to watch in the future. A lot of people, including myself, were skeptical about whether the extension was worth it after the rough start to the season by Johnson, but he has definitely ended those discussions. At this point, I’m beginning to wonder if the Saints got a deal with the contract. Tyler Shough eclipsed the 300 passing yard mark and almost reached 50 passing attempts, yet was able to keep the ball out of harm’s way throughout the game. If Tyler Shough finishes the season playing at this level, he will 100% be in contention for offensive rookie of the year. Offensive MVP: Chris Olave Defensive MVP: The Pass Rush Special Teams MVP: CHARLIE “THE IRISH HAMMER” SMYTH