By Jordan Long
(Update at 11:03 Mountain Time: Jameis Winston out for the season with torn ACL, damaged MCL)
The New Orleans Saints beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-27, improving their record to 5-2. In the victory, quarterback Jameis Winston sustained a knee injury. He was tackled from behind with 12:35 left in the 2nd quarter. It was a clear horse-collar tackle. The score was tied at 7. He left the game and didn’t return. The injury could end his season, but it hasn’t been announced how bad it really is.
Winston has played pretty well for the Saints this season. He has thrown for 1,170 yards with 14 touchdowns. Winston is reading the defenses and not forcing it downfield to where it can be picked off. Winston has an incredibly low 3 interceptions.
Before the injury, Winston was 6 of 10 passing for 56 yards and 1 touchdown. The Saints’ backup for the game was Trevor Siemian who hadn’t played a game since 2019 for the New York Jets. He played pretty well for the Saints, finishing the game 16 of 29 passing for 159 yards and 1 touchdown.
According to ESPN.com Siemian said, “First I want to say how gutted I am for Jameis. This win was for him. I just feel for the guy, I love him so much. Just being around him, you can’t help it, he’s got this infectious personality. And you’re just frickin’ gutted when you see anybody hurt. But watching him get hurt was tough.”
The Saints will not know how substantial the injury to Winston is until he has an MRI. If he is out the rest of the year, which could be the case, the Saints will have a decision at quarterback. Other than Siemian, the Saints have Taysom Hill.
Hill was inactive for this past weekend, dealing with a concussion. It is expected he could be cleared before next week’s game when they face the Atlanta Falcons. Hill is not a passing quarterback, totaling just 12 yards this season. He is much more of a runner who the Saints put in for special formations and plays. Hill rushed for 77 yards and 3 touchdowns this year. Hill can still play quarterback but he won’t throw the ball as far as Siemian. In his career Hill is 97 of 138 passing for 1,059 yards, 4 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions.
The Saints are better off going with Siemian as the starter while Winston is out. Siemian showed against the Buccaneers he can move the chains for the Saints. He is their better option. Hill can be the backup for Siemian to run his special plays. If anything happens to Siemian, at least Hill knows the playbook. Hopefully, the Saints will find a way to make the playoffs without Winston. They are currently in a great position to do so, sitting at 5-2.
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