Taysom Hill leads Saints past Falcons in 1st NFL start

New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill got the job done in his first career NFL start.

Hill completed 18 of 23 pass attempts for 233 yards while adding 51 yards and two scores on the ground to lead the Saints to a 24-9 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

"If I'm being honest, it was an emotional week," Hill said postgame, according to Luke Johnson of The New Orleans Advocate. "I felt a lot of love from a lot of people. It was overwhelming in a good way."

The versatile playmaker, who was mostly used as a runner this season prior to Week 11, was named the starter over Jameis Winston following Drew Brees being placed on the injured reserve this past week. Brees is reportedly dealing with 11 fractured ribs after taking a hard hit against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10.

"... I didn't fully understand what it took to be a starter until I got here," Hill added. "... Drew was with me every step of the way this week."

All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas was Hill's favorite target against the Falcons, registering nine catches on 12 targets for 104 yards.

Overall, the Saints amassed 378 yards and 24 first downs on offense. New Orleans was also supported by a solid performance from its defense, which sacked quarterback Matt Ryan eight times while holding the Falcons to 248 total yards.

Hill became just the ninth quarterback in NFL history to make his first start at the age of 30 or older.