The New Orleans Saints can win games with Jameis Winston. Just, not when he’s playing bad football. Between injuries, poor coaching decisions, and Winston’s own flaws and bad habits as a passer, that’s exactly what they experienced in Sunday’s ugly home opener. He’s worked really hard to develop as a quarterback, but it felt like a lot of that was undone in a single sloppy afternoon.
The team managed to keep news of his four fractured vertebrae under wraps until the last hour or so before kickoff, and it showed. It was rough. Winston was sacked six times, losing 30 yards of offense, and Saints coach Dennis Allen acknowledged after the game that he was missing throws he’d normally make. He was too often throwing off-target and moving stiffly as his body worked to compensate for the lower-back injury.
