The New Orleans Saints kicked off their post-Drew Brees era better than anyone could expect. Led by new starting quarterback Jameis Winston, the Saints trashed their NFC rivals, the Green Bay Packers, on Sunday and claimed a dominant 38-3 win.
The Saints’ win was even more impressive considering they had to welcome the Packers on Jacksonville’s TIAA Bank Field due to Hurricane Ida. The team was also forced to spend the last two weeks away from New Orleans, practicing at the Dallas Cowboy’s AT&T Stadium and the facilities of Texas Christian University.
Winston was a standout performer for the Saints, taking care of the football while throwing for 148 yards and five touchdowns.
Winston also had huge help from his defense, which continuously pressured the Packers and stopped them from developing any kind of offensive game.
As a result, Green Bay superstar QB Aaron Rodgers had one of his worst games in recent memory. Rodgers managed to complete just 53.6 percent of his passes while also throwing two interceptions. His first interception came in the red zone, preventing the Packers from putting points on the board and get back into the game. The second interception was returned all the way to Green Bay’s 12-yard line, setting up an easy TD for Winston.
Towards the end of the game, the Packers took Rodgers out and sent second-year signal-caller Jordan Love on the field. Love also failed to spark Green Bay’s offense, fumbling the ball in the red zone with 1:06 left on the clock.
“That was for the city,” Winston said in a post-game conference. “We did that for them. We knew how much it would mean to get a great victory for that region. They’ve been through so much.”
The New Orleans Saints travel to Carolina next week to face the Panthers. The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, host the Detroit Lions in Week 2.
