Drew Brees is taking another midseason vacation.
OK, so he suffered a brutal injury that included a couple of cracked ribs and a collapsed lungs; but, for a second consecutive season, the Saints quarterback will miss some time, thrusting his backup, who was taken in the first round of the NFL draft, into the driver’s seat of Sean Payton’s offense.
Last year it was Teddy Bridgewater doing his best Brees impression, and he was eventually able to parlay his cameo into a lucrative contract and starting gig in Carolina. This year, it’s Jameis Winston’s turn to show the league he’s worthy of a starting job in 2021.
Much like Teddy before him, Jameis looked uncomfortable after replacing Brees at the half. Frankly, he looked like a quarterback who just didn’t want to make a mistake, opting to check it down or scramble rather than trying to fit the ball into the kind of tight windows he routinely challenged in Tampa.
what have the saints done to jameis … tampa bay jameis rips that corner route w/o hesitation pic.twitter.com/HWRyKY3aSy
— Steven Ruiz (@theStevenRuiz) November 16, 2020
At least that’s what I’m hoping. We need the old Jameis ripping balls down the seam in a Sean Payton-designed offense. There was one good sign — for fans of chaos, not Saints fans — as Jameis did get one vintage throw in there…
(“Vintage” doesn’t always mean good.)
With a week of practice and game plan tailored to his skillset, which is far different from Brees’, Jameis should look more comfortable. Playing against a crappy Falcons defense will also help him pad his resume. And Jameis will get two cracks at Atlanta if Brees is out for three weeks, so he should come out of this with a nice looking stat line to show teams next offseason when he hits free agency.
Even if Jameis isn’t great, the Saints should be able to come out of this stretch without Brees in good shape. Sandwiched in between the two Falcons games is a trip to Denver, where Drew Lock can’t stop turning the ball over. And if Brees has to miss a month, the Saints’ next game is against a completely broken Eagles team.
With a forgiving schedule, Brees’ absence might end up being a positive in the long run. Payton could see enough out of Jameis, who is still only 26, to consider giving him a multi-year deal next offseason if Brees decides to hang it up. And if Jameis doesn’t show him enough, that’s one less complicated decision the front office has to make next spring.
The issue, of course, is that the Saints don’t have much of a margin for error in the race for home-field advantage in the NFC playoffs. According to FiveThirtyEight’s playoff odds, New Orleans’ and Green Bay’s odds of taking the No. 1 seed are even, so any hiccup could cost the Saints that spot at the top of the conference and force a 41-year-old Brees to go on the road to Lambeau in January.
No matter what happens between now and Brees’ eventual return, we can say one thing for sure: It’s going to be fun to watch. It always is with Jameis.