New Orleans Saints fans wanted a third straight win for Christmas, and the Saints granted them that wish.
In fact, the Saints defense played the role of Santa Claus on Sunday, delivering their best performance of the year with eight sacks and two takeaways to key a 29-6 victory over the scuffling New York Jets. The sack total was a season-high and included Cam Jordan picking up sacks on two straight possessions.
"Just phenomenal. The shoutout took a while in the locker room," Kellen Moore said. " There were a bunch of guys making plays today. I thought it was just a credit to our guys, the relentless effort, the finish, the way they're playing together."
The Saints offense did its part, too, with Saints QB Tyler Shough completing 32-of-49 passes for 308 yards and a touchdown en route to a season-high in points. Shough became the first rookie QB in Saints history to throw for over 300 yards. WR Chris Olave led the way with a career-high 148 yards and two touchdowns on 10 receptions, while TE Juwan Johnson notched 89 yards on eight catches, a majority coming in the first half.
New York gained just 195 of offense and 12 first downs. Jets quarterback Brady Cook finished the day completing 22 of 35 pass attempt for 188 yards and that inception.
Taysom Hill did Taysom Hill things in what might be his final career game in the Caesars Superdome, filling up the whole box score while leading all rushers with 42 yards on 12 carries. He also threw for a 38-yard touchdown and hauled in 4 receptions for 36 yards. The receiving total pushed hill over the 1,000-yard receiving mark for his career, making him the first player in the Super Bowl era to reach 1,000 yards as a passer, runner and receiver.
"This league talks about trying to get 'Taysom Hills' on your football team. There's a role and everyone is chasing it," Moore said. "No one seems to be able to duplicate it. ... It's just really, really special."
Saints kicker Charlie Smyth tied a franchise record by converting five field goals in a single game. He finished the day five-for-six, with his only miss coming on a 61-yard attempt at the end of the first half.
Things ended well for the Saints, but they didn't start well. Hill started off his day with a fumble on the second offensive snap, the fourth time this season the Saints lost a fumble on their opening offensive possession. The Jets took over at the plus 37 but the defense ultimately held for a 29-yard field goal to open the scoring.
The Saints evened the score on the next drive, working their way to the New York 13-yard line to set up a 35-yard Charlie Smyth field goal, a sign of things to come with the Saints failing to cash in for touchdowns on any of their three red zone tripts.
The Saints’ next drive was a carbon copy. After forcing the Jets to punt following a third down penalty, New Orleans drove deep into New York territory until a Jamien Sherwood sack of Shough stalled the Saints drive at the Jets’ 31. The Saints settled for three more points, sending Smyth onto the field to kick a 49-yard field goal just seconds into the second quarter.
The Jets returned the favor on the ensuing drive when Folk converted a 36-yard field goal following a six-play, 32-yard drive.
After trading possessions — the Saints turned the ball over on downs, while the Jets punted — the Saints came a matter of inches from scoring the first touchdown of the day. Chris Olave got his hands on what would've been an 18-yard touchdown reception but it was knocked out of his hands at the last moment by Jets DB Qwan'tez Stiggers. Smyth then hit his third field goal of the day, this one a 36-yarder, to give the Saints a 9-6 lead with 91 seconds left in the first half.
The Saints defense stepped up to force the Jets to punt following a three-and-out. Jordan in particular had a hand in dooming Gang Green’s drive, sacking Cook on back-to-back place. The Saints offense then pushed the ball just inside New York territory, setting up a 61-yard field goal attempt by Smyth. Smyth pushed his attempt wide left, leaving the score 9-6 at halftime.
The Saints defense continued to assert itself in the second half. The Jets managed to gain a net of nine yards in the third quarter, punting on both of their drives in the frame.
The Saints finally found the end zone on their second drive of the third quarter. Olave exorcized the demons that plagued him earlier in the game--including tripping and falling on a wide open pass just a few plays prior--to catch a 23-yard touchdown pass from Shough in the back in the end zone to close out a 12-play, 93-yard drive. Smyth’s PAT gave the Saints a 16-6 lead in the waning seconds of the quarter.
The Saints defense forced the Jets’ first turnover on the following drive. Shepherd strip sacked Cook, allowing fellow defensive lineman Chase Young to recover the ball for the Black-and-Gold at the New York 46-yard line.
The Saints offense failed to convert the takeaway into a touchdown, settling for a 50-yard Smyth field goal to extend their lead 19-6 with 11 minutes remaining in the game.
One drive later, the Saints earned their second takeaway of the game when Sanker picked off Cook at the New Orleans 27-yard line and returned the interception to the New York 44-yard line. The Saints ultimately turned that turnover into three more points when Smyth hit a 39-yard field goal to extend the Saints lead to 22-6 with 5:22 left in the game.
The Jets attempted a comeback effort on the ensuing drive. Despite being sacked by lineback Chris Rumph two plays earlier, Cook converted a fourth down when he found receiver Adonai Mitchell on a 26-yard pass with 3:38 to go in the game. The Saints defense regrouped quickly, forcing a turnover on downs four plays later. The final play of the drive ended when Young recorded his first sack of the day, giving the Saints the ball back at the Jets’ 44-yard line.
One drive after making NFL history, Taysom Hill lined up at quarterback and connected with Olave on a 38-yard touchdown pass to seal the victory for the Saints. The Saints defense put an exclamation point on the win when linebacker Jonah Williams sacked Cook in the game’s waning seconds.
The win marked the Saints' first three-game win streak since Weeks 15-17 of the 2022 season.
The Saints (5-10) will face the Tennessee Titans (3-12) in Nashville next Sunday. The Jets (3-12) will host the New England Patriots (11-3) next Sunday.