By taking advantage of their usually hapless rival Falcons, the Saints and Jameis Winston started the 2022 season with a bang. After the game, a post-game interview with Winston about “pain everywhere” went viral following the 27-26 win. That victory came at a cost, as it seems Winston might have indeed been playing with more pain than we thought.
According to a report from FOX NFL Sunday’s Jay Glazer, Winston will play against the Buccaneers (-2.5) with four fractures in his back down his lumbar spine. All it will take to get Winson on the field in the Superdome — again, with four (!) back fractures — is some extra padding (?).
Uh, that doesn’t seem comfortable or ideal in the least:
The Inside Scoop – BREAKING NEWS… Jameis Winston is playing today for the #Saints with 4 fractures in his back, updates on #Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s injury, and the culture change Head Coach Brian Daboll is bringing to the #Giants. @NFLonFOX #NFL pic.twitter.com/kqPlGkEvlB
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) September 18, 2022
Winston playing with a very injured back raises another question: Does Saints head coach Dennis Allen not trust his backup quarterback, Andy Dalton … at all? I know Dalton isn’t the best option, especially against a swarming Buccaneers defense, but it doesn’t seem worth potentially risking Winston’s health even further.
Kudos, I suppose, to Winston for the toughness and trying to come through for his team, but the Saints’ decision-makers should really be doing to protect their starting quarterback.