It's impossible to question the toughness of Saints quarterback Taysom Hill heading into Week 14.
The Saints quarterback went into his first start in Week 13 battling a painful foot injury, and finished the game with "mallet finger," a painful joint injury. But there are questions to be asked about how much the injuries might be impacting his performance after tossing four interceptions in the 27-17 loss.
With the QB planning to forgo surgery and play through the injury wearing a splint on the middle finger of his throwing hand, what Tre'Quan Smith noticed -- or better yet, didn't -- offers at least some confidence that the finger won't be what leads to passing struggles.
"I didn't even know he messed up his finger until after the game," Smith said. "To me, he still throws a tight spiral. I didn't see no change in his [throws]."
The injury came late in the first quarter, with Hill going into the injury tent for the duration of the Cowboys' first scoring drive. Trevor Siemian was warming up while Hill was in the blue tent, but he returned with a brace and led the Saints on a touchdown drive the next possession. Smith admits he was locked in and a bit oblivious to the status of his QB during the game, but that's not unusual. No one really knew Hill suffered a foot injury in Week 10 against the Titans, either.
“He’s definitely one of the toughest guys. … I didn’t even know he was hurt [in Tennessee], many people didn’t know he was hurt," Smith said. "And playing through a finger injury as a quarterback on your throwing hand, just shows how committed he is to the team and how tough he is as a person.”
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The toughness displayed is certainly a good quality for an NFL player and a member of a 2021 Saints roster decimated by injuries. But it doesn't answer questions relative to the performance of the passing game. Hill expressed confidence in his ability to make all the necessary throws during practice, but despite some nice moments, the unsuccessful throws outnumbered the successful ones in Week 13. One of those was an incomplete pass delivered late and behind Smith as he broke open across the field. A better throw could've been a touchdown. Instead the Saints settled for a long field goal that fell short, with a failure to finish off drives with points a common thread in the game.
Smith caught two passes for 15 yards on seven targets, and Hill finished 19 of 41 passing for 264 yards, two TDs, and four interceptions.
There were positives, though, overshadowed by the turnovers and missed opportunities. Hill ran for more than 100 yards, and the Saints actually outgained Dallas 405-371. If Hill can make the throws, there's a chance he can help get things back headed in the right direction. He's not limiting himself in practice, but he's let the coaches know if they see his injury as preventing him from being effective, he'd understand if they sat him down.
"If I’m not able to function as a pocket passer, it’s not fair those around me if I can’t do that," Hill said. "I think that’s just where we’re at.”
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