As the Atlanta Falcons prepare to face the division-rival New Orleans Saints on Sunday, who currently sit in first place in the NFC South, the Saints might be down a major piece with starting quarterback Drew Brees likely not suiting up after he suffered multiple rib fractures and a collapsed lung in last week's game.
The most likely replacement for Brees is quarterback Jameis Winston, the 2014 No. 1 overall pick who has plenty of experience facing the Falcons after five years as Tampa Bay's starter.
However, Atlanta is preparing not just for Winston, but also for quarterback Taysom Hill, who is used as a tight end, running back and wide receiver utility player.
Winston played the majority of snaps when Brees went down against San Francisco, but Hill also saw some second half snaps.
"They've (New Orleans) got a couple of good quarterback on their roster," interim head coach Raheem Morris said. "They're pretty fortunate in their quarterback situation and obviously, you know Sean Payton and Pete Carmichael, who they are and what they are, they'll plan diligently enough to get those guys ready to play against us.
"We have to prepare for both, there's no doubt about that."
Not facing Brees could end up being a good thing for the Falcons who historically, have struggled to stop him.
Brees holds a 19-10 record against Atlanta while completing 68.4% of his passes for 8,695 yards, 54 touchdowns and 27 interceptions, but the Saints have shown they can win without the NFL's all-time leading passer.
Last season, they went 5-0 with now Carolina Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater stepping in as the starter.
“We’ve seen them do it last year with Teddy Bridgewater,” Morris said. “Now, they will be challenged with the same thing this year. We know they are going to come ready to play. Everybody probably felt the same way when they went 5-0 with Teddy. They are not going to sneak up on anybody. We’ll be ready.”
If Winston is the guy to start for New Orleans, the one certainty is that he has a history of performing well against the Falcons.
Winston was 4-5 against Atlanta and completed 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,499 yards, 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Before signing with the Saints on a one-year deal this offseason to attempt to revive his career, Winston led the league in passing yards last year with 5,109 yards despite throwing for 30 interceptions.
Falcons defensive coordinator Dirk Koetter was Winston's head coach from 2016-18 and doesn't expect him to back down from the challenge of replacing Brees.
“That’s why they brought Jameis there,” Koetter said. “They lost Teddy Bridgewater. He’s starting for Carolina. Every team that doesn’t want to have to lose their starter, especially a guy of his caliber of Brees' caliber. Jameis, that’s why they brought him there, he has got a lot of experience. He knows how to throw the ball down the field. I’m sure he’s anxious to get his opportunity.”
Even though it's been just 10 weeks sitting behind Brees, Morris also knows Winston is probably already a much better quarterback learning from a future Hall of Famer.
“He’s had a significant amount of time to be with those guys, we are talking 10 weeks with those guys,” Morris said. “Sitting behind Drew, who is arguably one of the best quarterbacks to play our game, and being in that same quarterback room with all those guys, Taysom Hill, himself and Drew Brees. So, he’s got to be better. You can’t help but get better when you’re around those type of people.”
Atlanta is looking to get its fourth win in the last five games under Morris and there would not be a better signature win than against the first-place Saints, no matter who the quarterback is.
Whoever it is, they believe they'll be ready.
“Just getting ready for both quarterbacks, getting things installed and putting all of our plan together,” Falcons linebacker Deion Jones said. “It should be interesting planning this week for two guys, so we’ll see.”