That was, wow. The Saints desperately needed it and they desperately got it with a 39-32 victory over the Seahawks.
Taysom Hill had four touchdowns. Alvin Kamara had nearly 200 yards. All is right in the Crescent City for at least a day.
With all that in mind, here are my three quick takeaways after the Saints much-needed get-right win over Seattle.
THIS IS THE TAYSOM HILL WE WERE PROMISED
There are a lot of things you can question when it comes to this Saints team and offense. Taysom Hill's role is not one of them.
He carried the ball 9 times for 112 yards, and honestly that number could've been higher if he wasn't stopped by the end zone on three of them. He's been a red zone machine this season with a team-high five rushing touchdowns. All have come from the QB position. Each has appeared easier than the last.
I hear all the time: The problem with the Taysom Hill sets is that teams know he's going to run. My answer would be: So what? They still can't stop it. And until they show they can, keep knocking the door down. Anything less would be a gift. It’s be like prime Shaq suddenly falling in love with a mid-range jumper.
And it's not just a red zone weapon. Multiple times in this game on third and short the Saints ran backup linemen Lewis Kidd and Landon Young on the field, both declared eligible receivers. It was effectively a set with 10 blockers. Taysom Hill converted every time, and did so easily.
The inability to run the ball with success on third and short can make life miserable in the NFL. The Saints have effectively hacked short-yardage situations with Taysom Hill. If you're an Alvin Kamara fantasy owner, you might hate him. If you're a Saints fan, he takes a lot of stress out of the equation.
Oh, and when things are going that well? He can throw it and ruin your day, too.
Sorry, Seattle.
MISTAKES WERE BAD, NOT TRAGIC
The clean game we were hoping for was still elusive.
The Saints did enough to lose this game. Fortunately for themselves the Seahawks returned the favor, and the Saints did just enough to win it.
That wasn't always guaranteed, though. With the ball and a 17-13 lead late in the first half, the few toes remaining got put in the line of fire again. The Saints picked up a big play to Tre'Quan Smith well into Seahawks territory, but it was called back due to a hands to the face penalty against James Hurst. The next play was a checkdown to Alvin Kamara, and for the second time this season the Saints' superstar back put the ball on the ground. Instead of a touchdown advantage, the Saints were suddenly on their heels trying to prevent points. Geno Smith made them pay with a bomb to Tyler Lockett that sent the Saints into halftime suddenly staring at a 19-17 deficit.
The Saints got it back with fumble and touchdown to Chris Olave to open the second half, but it was still an example of an awful miscue at the worst possible time.
Andy Dalton also tossed an ill-timed interception while targeting Tre'Quan Smith in the third quarter. The Saints defense held up on that drive, but not on the next. Marshon Lattimore was called for pass interference downfield, which set up another Smith to Lockett bomb, this time for 40 yards.
There was another big mistake, and you could argue it was on the side of the refs with a questionable false start call with the Seahawks looking to be in the neutral zone on 4th and 2. The punt was awful and set up the Seahawks beyond their own 20, a rare flub for Blake Gillikin. Two plays later Kenneth Walker got loose for a 69-yard touchdown run. If not for a legendary Taysom Hill performance, we'd be talking about the true theme of this season: Make a mistake, get burned.
to be fair, this is a team trying to patch things together on the back end without PJ Williams and Marcus Maye, but the big plays can't happen in huge moments. That's been the theme of this season, and it hasn't stopped yet despite the victory.
ALVIN KAMARA SWUNG THIS GAME
Yes, I just got done detailing Alvin Kamara's awful mistake at the end of the first half, I get it. If it had been any other running back on the team, there's a chance he's riding the bench the rest of the way.
That was never even in consideration for Kamara, and there's a good reason for that ... the dude is a game-changer. He made his return this week against a Seahawks team he's flat-out dominated in previous seasons, and he did it again to the tune of 194 total yards, nearly evenly split between rushing and receiving.
His 54-yard pickup on a screen pass late in the third quarter set up a touchdown that put the Saints up 31-19. His tough running and cutting kept the Saints ahead of the chains on an important clock-killing drive early in the 4th quarter.
The Saints are 0-6 in games Kamara's missed the last two seasons. When he's in, they have a chance.
LAGNIAPPE: The Saints' mistakes have been a major topic, but the Seahawks' were honestly more boneheaded and costly. A DK Metcalf fumble to open the second half completely changed the game. A holding penalty wiped out another Metcalf TD as he was standing alone downfield. A defensive holding call extended a pivotal Saints drive early in the 4th quarter. Seattle finished the game with 11 penalties for 70 yards. It cost them big in a game they could've won. ... Chris Olave caught his second TD in as many weeks, but it was costly. He was taken down straight onto the crown of his helmet and went limp on the field. The score counted on review, but he was ruled out with a concussion and his status will be important to watch. ... Tre'Quan Smith has been solid this season, but he might've played himself out of a role today. He had a pair of drops on potential first-down conversions in the second half. Neither were easy catches, but they were balls you have to come down with. He did have a big conversion late in the game to help burn clock, but the team brought Keith Kirkwood back on the practice squad and he can do a lot of the same things. That'll be something to watch. ... The DK Metcalf-Marshon Lattimore grudge match continues to be appointment viewing. Metcalf got loose with Paulson Adebo in coverage for a 50-yard touchdown on the Seahawks' opening drive, and was largely shut down to the tune of 4 catches for 33 yards on 7 targets the rest of the way, one of which ended in a fumble. ... Cam Jordan just keeps getting it down. Another day, another 1.5 sacks. The guy is ageless.