The results might not matter, but that doesn't mean this team was OK with losing its first two preseason games.
They made sure that slide came to an end with an impressive, 27-10 victory over the Chargers. It's worth noting that the Saints finally got a good run out of their starters and the Chargers rested the majority of theirs, but a win is a win and the Saints won't complain, so neither will I. We saw Jameis Winston, Alvin Kamara and others -- and no key players got hurt. That's the biggest win of them all.
With that in mind, here are my five quick takeaways from a satisfying night at the Caesars Superdome.
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JAMEIS IS BACK
It was pretty clear to anyone who watched any camp practices, but Jameis Winston is ready to go. He showed as much this week, and he proved it with a well-executed scoring drive to open things up against the Chargers.
His passes came out on time and on target. He took advantage of his new weapons in Jarvis Landry (two catches for 35 yards) and Chris Olave (1 catch, 19 yards), with his other pass going to Alvin Kamara for 5 yards.
And it didn't always go smoothly around him. The first play of the game drew a flag for holding, pushing things back to 1st and 20. Jameis didn't wait around, hitting Landry for 20 yards on 2nd and 14. It was an instance where two receivers were open underneath, and last year I'd have definitely criticized the decision to bypass an easy 8-yard gain for a more difficult throw into coverage. But this season you have pass-catchers like Jarvis, Olave and eventually Mike Thomas. I'll rarely question putting your faith in those guys in big moments.
An illegal shift kicked the Saints back to a first-and-15, and Jameis calmly converted again to Jarvis Landry. Ultimately it was Mark Ingram pounding the ball in for his first of two touchdown runs on the night.
There were a lot of ways this night could've gone. As far as Jameis is concerned, that was the dream scenario. Bring on the Falcons.
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INJURIES STRIKE
We saw a majority of the Saints starters in this one, but with a few exceptions. There was no sign of Taysom Hill, Adam Trautman, Mike Thomas, James Hurst, Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Davenport or Pete Werner.
The only members of that group I have any serious concern over is Trautman, Hurst and Werner. The left tackle position is suddenly a question mark. Hurst hasn't been seen in practice since a foot injury suffered in the second joint session against the Packers, and rookie Trevor Penning appeared to suffer a left foot injury and was carted back to the locker room in the first quarter.
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Derrick Kelly was signed last week and played left tackle. Could be be the depth if neither Hurst or Penning can go in Week 1? How about Lewis Kidd? Hopefully we never have to find out, but it'll be a situation to monitor.
Running back Tony Jones Jr. and DT Malcolm Roach also suffered injuries and left the field, but neither appeared significant. Tre'Quan Smith also appeared to hurt himself on a wild deflection that was caught by Marquez Callaway.
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JUSTIN EVANS MAKES A STATEMENT
On his first play of the night, depth safety Justin Evans got downfield and made a special teams tackle.
On the third play of the second half, Justin Evans tracked down Chargers TE Hunter Kampmoyer and punched out the ball, which was scooped up by fellow safety Daniel Sorenson.
On the next drive he came up in coverage and blasted Michael Bandy to break up a pass and force a punt.
Evans also came down with an interception against the Texans, and he just always seems to be around the ball and making plays. He's certainly no guarantee to crack the roster at safety, but I have a really hard time cutting a guy who plays as hard, hits as hard, and constantly shows up in big moments the way he does. He put his stamp on his preseason in a big way.
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IAN BOOK TOOK A STEP FORWARD
The man has a long way to go, and I think he'll spend this season on the Saints practice squad, but there are positive things to take away from the past two games for the second-year QB.
He made a few questionable throws, but he peppered UDFA Lucas Krull who had a nice night of his own. He missed Kirk Merritt way high on a play that didn't count due to offensive pass interference, but he bounced back with a touchdown pass to Merritt a few plays later.
Book's night started later than it did in the first two, with Winston leading the first drive and Andy Dalton taking over for the next two. His first snap came as he climbed under center with 57 seconds remaining in the first half. Book calmly led the team into field goal range, protected the ball and set up Wil Lutz for a 48-yard kick as time expired. That's NFL quarterback stuff.
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All that said, there's obviously still a long way to go and a lot to learn. But at points this preseason I found myself wondering if Book had what it takes to be an NFL backup. We saw the ultimate example of that on the Chargers' side with Chase Daniel. I don't think Book is there right now, but he goes about the game the right way. If he could have a Chase Daniel-type career, good for him.
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I STILL HAVE QUESTIONS AT LINEBACKER
This isn't really an observation, more a lack of one. I don't think anyone necessarily stood out at the linebacker position, at least not on first glance.
I thought Nephi Sewell looked solid in coverage, but he missed a few tackles. One of those came on a screen pass that he successfully sniffed out, but couldn't bring down in the first half. It looked like he got pushed in the back, and I'll have to go back to the tape to see for sure.
That's going to be the theme of this note. No one really flashed, and I think that's advantage to the guys who had already done so. I still see Sewell, Kaden Ellliss and Eric Wilson as having the inside track, but the rewatch on Saturday will be heavily focused on that position.
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LAGNIAPPE: Nothing I saw today convinced me that Kirk Merritt is a serious contender to make the team at running back. In fact, his reps in this game came at WR, and he ended up with a pair of his best moments in the passing game. He finished the game with 4 catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. But I just don't see a route for him at the position, he'll be a great value on the practice squad. ... In that vein, it sure feels like Tony Jones Jr. (8 carries, 23 yards) is the running back to keep. Abram Smith (11 carries, 40 yards) has upside and you'll want to stash him on the practice squad, but TJJ has earned it. ... Tre'Quan Smith was part of a wild ricochet reception by Marquez Callaway, but even if it ended well, it was a rough look for Tre. I'm starting to wonder how secure his spot really is, and I wouldn't be shocked if this team kept just five WRs. ... Lucas Krull did a good job to make his case tonight, but I still see him on the practice squad. He finished the game with 4 catches for 24 yards ... Rashid Shaheed never got on the field on a night where he objectively should have if the team felt like it wanted a look at him. I'm pretty sure my theory that the team is trying to hide him holds water. Because, why else? Deonte Harty was out there fielding a punt in the third quarter. Something doesn't add up there. ... Zero turnovers surrendered. You'll win a lot of games when that happens. ... Vincent Gray hasn't had the best camp, but he's showing his versatility and that's never something to ignore when it comes to the Saints. He got early snaps at outside corner, then shifted to safety alongside J.T. Gray later in the game. He'll have a spot on the practice squad. ... DT Albert Huggins was carted off the field in the 4th quarter. The severity of his injury is still unclear. ... Each of Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton and Ian Book led scoring drives. I feel very good about the state of the Saints right now.