METAIRIE, La. – New Orleans Saints midfielder Taysom Hill will be fighting to get over the mallet finger injury he suffered in last Thursday night’s loss Dallas Cowboys without surgery, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Saints’ doctors determined that Hill had been mauled by a finger (the name for a tendon injury at the tip of the finger), according to the source. However, Hill’s wound is not as wide as the wound Seattle Seahawks Football Team midfielder Russell Wilson suffered earlier this year, requiring surgery. Wilson was mauled by both fingers and fractured-dislocated.
Hill was injured when he hit the middle finger of his right pitcher at another player in the first inning of Thursday’s 27-17 loss. He played the rest of the match with a splint to his finger and finished with four interceptions.
“It took a bit of getting used to,” Hill admitted after the game. “Whenever you put something else on your finger (it affects) the pull of the ball and the object. But that’s okay.”
Hill finished 19 of 41 passes for 264 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions in his first game of the 2021 season – three of which came in the fourth quarter while he conceded start “squeezing”. He also ran the ball 11 times in the 101 meters despite playing through the pain of a partially torn muscle he suffered in Week 10.
“I think he played with all his heart and guts. We didn’t help him in the first half,” Saints coach Sean Payton said after the game.
If he is deemed fit enough to play at near full strength, Hill has a good chance of maintaining the starting role for the Saints (5-7) when they play again at New York Jets in Week 14. Despite the ugly results and collapse in the fourth quarter, Hill’s running ability provided at least some element of juice to an offense that has been steady since its inception. original QB James Winston ACL tear at Week 8.
The Saints are 0-5 since Winston was injured. Veterans Reserve Trevor Siemian helped lead the Saints to victory Tampa Bay Buccaneers after replacing Winston in the second quarter of that Week 8 game. But then he took a 0-4 lead while the offense dwindled with each passing week – in large part due to so many injuries.
The Saints are hoping to run again Alvin Kamara and attacking balls Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk back soon after a knee injury.
Hill is currently 3-2 at the start of his career after winning 3-1 when replacing injured Drew Brees last year. He completed 82 of 114 passes in those games (71.9%) for 834 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran the ball 39 times for 209 yards and four TDs but lost three awkwardly.
The 31-year-old signed a unique contract extension last week with a base value of $40 million over four years should he continue in his usual role of QB/RB/TE/WR but could be worth up to $95 million. if he becomes the starting midfielder of the team and achieves lofty incentives.
