Winston throws five touchdown passes in starting debut as Saints win home opener in Jacksonville
New Orleans Saints
Jacksonville – Jameis Winston, a Heisman Trophy winner and national champion at Florida State and the No. 1 overall draft pick by Tampa Bay in 2015, became the 33rd player to start at quarterback for the New Orleans Saints when he took the first snap from center Erik McCoy under a hot Florida sun at TIAA Bank Field on Sunday, Sept. 12.
It would have been difficult enough just to be the player to replace the legendary Drew Brees at quarterback, but the 27-year-old Winston had several other added difficulties in the season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
- The Saints have been displaced by Hurricane Ida for more than two weeks, practicing in Texas instead of Metairie and being forced to live in hotel rooms.
- TIAA Bank Field provided few of the advantages of the cacophonous Caesars Superdome.
- Star receiver Michael Thomas started the season on the shelf as he recovers from offseason ankle surgery.
- No. 2 receiver Tre'Quan Smith missed the game with a hamstring injury.
- Aaron Rodgers, the three-time league MVP, was the opposing quarterback.
But Winston was more than up for the challenge as he led the Saints to a dominating 38-3 season-opening victory over the Packers, the top NFC seed in the 2020 playoffs, throwing five touchdown passes. The 6-foot-4, 231-pounder finished 14 of 20 for 148 yards with those five touchdown passes and ran the ball four times for 38 yards in front of 35,242 fans. ...
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