Red-hot Saints will likely have to take on Eagles without versatile Taysom Hill
The New Orleans Saints are one of the top stories through the first two weeks of the season, as head coach Dennis Allen's team has registered a pair of blowout victories over the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys. The Saints have another test in Week 3 as they host Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles. While New Orleans has a boatload of offensive weapons to who can potentially do a lot of damage against Philadelphia, they are likely to be without versatile Taysom Hill.
The quarterback/running back/tight end was downgraded to doubtful Saturday by the Saints as a result of a chest injury. That means that quarterback Derek Carr is likely to remain under center throughout the game and it doesn't seem likely that he will be able yield any of his snaps to Hill, who is in his seventh year with the Saints after playing college football at Brigham Young.
The Saints offense has been operating at peak efficiency in the early part of the season. It starts with the play of quarterback Derek Carr, who has completed 30 of 39 passes for 443 yards with 5 TD passes and just 1 interception.
Kamara has been on fire for Saints
While Carr has been playing with confidence and delivering accurate passes, the key to the Saints offense this season has been resurgent running back, Alvin Kamara, who has gained 198 yards on 35 carries. He is averaging a robust 5.76 yards per carry and he has scored 4 rushing touchdowns.
Kamara has also caught 7 of 8 targets for 92 yards and 1 receiving touchdown.
Rashid Shaheed has also caught 7 passes for the Saints, and he has been a big-play threat. He has 169 receiving yards and has caught a pair of TD passes.
Kamara and Shaheed are major threats and both will have to be contained by the Philadelphia defense
Hill has not been a major contributor to the Saints' explosive offense so far this season. He has 8 carries for 53 yards, and that includes a long of 12 yards and he has not gotten into the end zone. He has caught just 2 passes, and both of those receptions have gained 1 yard each.
The Eagles are coming off a painful and shocking defeat Monday against the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles were in a position to beat Kirk Cousins and the Falcons, but an ill-advised decision to throw the ball in the final moments resulted in an incomplete Jalen Hurts pass to Saquon Barkley. That play stopped the clock and gave the Falcons an extra 45 seconds to drive the field and score the winning touchdown in a 22-21 victory.
Head coach Nick Sirianni has been under the gun since the Eagles struggled at the end of the 2023 season, and his seat is starting to get very warm in Philadelphia.
Sirianni is unlikely to have to worry about Taysom Hill on Sunday.
