JACKSONVILLE, Florida – Despite losing to Drew Brees to retire and their home stadium from Hurricane Ida for Week 1, the New Orleans Saints and Jameis Winston had an impressively dominant start to Week 1.
Winston threw five touchdown passes in his opening debut with the Saints (with zero changes) as they led the Green Bay Packers 38-3 to their makeshift spot “at home” at Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field. He ended his day with a 55-yard touchdown pass to great receiver Deonte Harris in the fourth quarter, while the New Orleans defense was equally dominant with two interceptions against former Vice President Aaron Rodgers.
Winston, 27, was actually one of the Saints ’top ten starters in Week 1 due to Brees’ retirement, an off-season salary cap purge, injuries and a suspension. The team also lost center fielder Erik McCoy due to an unspecified leg injury in the first quarter.
In addition, the Saints spent the last two weeks training in the Dallas area after Hurricane Ida left most of the New Orleans area without electricity when it hit the Gulf Coast on August 29th.
However, Winston and the Saints responded with one of the most efficient and dominant performances of the entire Sean Payton era. They had the ball during 21:51 in the first half; it was the Saints’ longest possession time since 2000. And they became the first NFL team to muster touchdown units of 15 consecutive plays since 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Information research .
Winston was extraordinarily effective for most of the game, often settling for smart controls or running away from pressure, as he ran four times for 38 yards and three first downs. He had just 93 yards to go before adding the 55-yard partial to Harris early in the fourth quarter. Winston had an interception in the second half that was disallowed for a personal foul.
The Saints will return this week to Dallas, where they have been training at the TCU facilities. It is unclear when they will return home to New Orleans now that power is back all over the area. His next home game is scheduled for Week 4 against the New York Giants.