Jameis Winston Suffers “Significant” Knee Injury

Jameis Winston in 2020
Jameis Winston in 2020. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI/Shutterstock (12435464g)

The New Orleans Saints came through against the reigning Super Bowl champs Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday to claim a deserved 36-27 win and improve to a 5-2 record. What made it even impressive was that they were playing without their starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the better part of the game.

Winston got hurt after a scramble in the second quarter that ended with him being horse-collar tackled by the Bucs’ Devin White. The 27-year-old’s knee bent awkwardly during the play, and he had to be helped off the field. He was later seen on the cart heading to the locker room and didn’t return to the game.

During a chat with reporters after the game, the Saints’ head coach Sean Payton said he doesn’t know too much about Winston’s injury but thinks “it’s significant.”

“He felt something. He’s on crutches right now,” said Payton. “I don’t wanna say until I have a chance to talk with the doctors, but when he got up and had to go back down, you were a little concerned.”

While the Saints apparently hope for the best, the first reports are not so optimistic. According to NFL Network’s insider Ian Rapoport, Winston is most likely dealing with an ACL injury and could have damage to his MCL. If this turns out true, he will be out for the remainder of the season.

In Winston’s absence, the Saints turned to veteran Trevor Siemian to finish the game. Siemian had a solid outing, completing 16 passes out of 29 attempted while throwing for 159 yards and a touchdown.

Besides Siemian, New Orleans also has versatile Taysom Hill as an option on the quarterback position. Hill has been in the concussion protocol since Week 5 but is expected to return for the Saint’s next game.