Things were shaping up perfectly for the Saints in the first quarter, but a Taysom Hill injury put a big wet blanket on the party.
After a scorching start, Hill went down after a run with an apparent injury. He walked off the field under his own power and went into the injury tent, eventually emerging with his left shoe in hand before walking back to the locker room.
The Saints led 7-6 at the time, with Hill having completed 7-of-9 passes for 107 yards and a touchdown, while also running for 18 yards on five carries. With Hill leaving the game, it was Trevor Siemian coming on in relief, a quarterback who led the win over the Bucs after taking over for an injured Jameis Winston. He started the next four games, with the Saints losing all four, before Hill took over the rest of the way.
To Siemian's credit, he came out firing. His first pass was a near miss in the end zone to Ty Montgomery. He finished off the drive with a spectacular throw and catch to Tre'Quan Smith that put the Saints up 14-6 late in the first half. New Orleans (8-8) needed a win over the Falcons and a loss by the 49ers to the Rams to secure a spot in the playoffs. The Rams were leading 17-3 at halftime, putting the Saints in a positive scenario despite wondering about the status of Hill. New Orleans was leading 17-6 in the final minutes of the first half.
It's just the latest in a series of frustrating injuries for the Saints' do-it-all quarterback. He suffered a concussion in Week 5 against Washington and missed three games. He returned for two games but suffered a plantar fascia tear against the Titans, forcing him to serve as the backup for two more games. In his starting debut he jammed his throwing hand on a Dallas defender and suffered a mallet finger injury that he's been playing through.
The injury was reported by FOX's Laura Okmin to have been a Lisfranc injury, a painful issue that affects the mid-foot. Hill walked to the locker room carrying his left shoe, indicating the issue was in the opposite foot as his plantar fascia tear, which he told reporters was in in his right foot.
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