The New Orleans Saints players and coaching staff were still in the dark about exactly what injury Derek Carr was facing after he left the field with a shoulder issue against the Packers.
But they made two things clear: Carr would be back, but until he could be, there were no qualms about Jameis Winston's ability to lead this team to wins.
"Jameis has been in this offense before. We trust Jameis to know what he’s doing," said TE Juwan Johnson. "He’s a great leader. He’s a great quarterback, so there’s no falloff."
Statistically that appeared reasonable. Carr was 13-18 for 103 yards and a TD before he left early in the third quarter. Jameis was 10-16 for 101 yards.
Where things differed was the scoreline. The Saints executed a drive for a touchdown midway through the first quarter, and another that was stifled in the red zone for a field goal just before halftime. Rashid Shaheed also returned a punt 76 yards for a score, and the Saints went into the break leading 17-0.
Those were all the New Orleans points on the day, with the team opting to punt rather than attempt a 55-yard field goal in the third quarter and a potential go-ahead kick from 46 yards sailing wide right with a little over a minute to go.
"This team, we will be fine," Winston said. "We’re ready. We’re prepared. We have great leaders on this team.”
Related
That leadership will likely be tested next week and potentially beyond. Carr was diagnosed with an AC sprain in his right shoulder, according to report. His return timeline will likely be determined by how the shoulder responds over the next few days. Until then it'll be Winston back under center, with the first potential matchup coming against his former Bucs squad. It was in a matchup with Tampa in 2021 when Winston saw his season end due to a major knee injury. Trevor Siemian came on in relief and the Saints won the game, but they scuffled to losses the next five weeks and ultimately missed the playoffs due to tiebreakers in Week 18.
The Saints are in a similar position now after a 2-1 start, except it's Jameis in the support role.
"We love this game," Winston said. "Sometimes this game doesn’t benefit us the way that we want. But in that room over there, this is a bunch of warriors. This is a bunch of resilient men, and I know that we will bounce back.”