Derek Carr is managing an injured throwing shoulder and may not be available against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, which means Jameis Winston is in line to start against his old team — again. He hasn’t gotten a definitive win against them in two previous meetings. Is the third time the charm for the New Orleans Saints quarterback?
Winston is still searching for his first real win against the team that gave up on him. In 2021 he was knocked out of the game (tied at 7-7) by an illegal horse collar tackle from his former teammate Devin White, who was fouled on the play and fined by the league office afterwards. Winston celebrated the win by dancing on crutches to support him, but it was bittersweet — Trevor Siemian finished the game under center, doing enough to win 36-27, but Winston’s season ended after being injured on that illegal hit.
Buy Saints TicketsThings didn’t go much better in 2022. Winston fought through an injury suffered the previous week to start anyway, but the Buccaneers bullied him and the Saints offense: Winston was sacked 6 times and threw 3 interceptions, with former Bucs safety Mike Edwards returning his takeaway 68 yards for a defensive touchdown. The Saints lost 20-10 and Winston was benched a few weeks later.
So here’s his next opportunity to try and win some comeuppance on his old team. Winston is healthy now and he has more firepower to work with than in past matchups with the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay just got demolished by the Philadelphia Eagles 25-11 on Monday night and has to travel to New Orleans on a short week. But the pass protection is a major concern and Winston has a bad habit of holding onto to the ball too long himself, which is how Carr got himself hurt. The Bucs do have a talented defensive front and they could knock Winston around just as easily as they’ve done before. A win is not guaranteed.
As far as that goes, it’s not guaranteed that Winston will start this game. The Saints have said Carr is “week to week” with his injured shoulder and they declined to rule him out for Week 4’s home game with the Buccaneers on Monday. It would be a big surprise for Carr to start on Sunday, but it’s possible. Maybe Winston will be left watching another game against Tampa Bay from the sidelines. But it sure would be cathartic for him to take the field and leave with a win on his own terms.
