New Orleans Saints Offensive Outlook With Jameis Winston at Quarterback

The retirement of Drew Brees marked the end of an era for New Orleans Saints football and the NFL. Brees retired as the all-time leader in passing yards, completions, and career completion percentage.

This season, Jameis Winston steps into Brees’s shoes as the starting New Orleans Saints quarterback. Is he up to the task? Will the Saints struggle this week as the NFL betting odds suggest?

Or is this the week Winston and the Saints’ offense gain necessary consistency? Let’s take a closer look at the prevailing trends of the Winston-era offense.

Winston Can Sling the Rock

From his days at Florida State, nobody’s ever questioned Winston’s ability to throw the ball. As a redshirt freshman, he showed incredible arm strength combined with scrambling ability that made NFL scouts drool.

He was a deadly duel threat, but the problem with Winston isn’t his ability to throw. He did, after all, finish first in passing yards during the 2019 NFL season. He also finished with 33 TD passes.

Over 5,000 passing yards and 30 TD passes is a monster year worthy of an MVP award until you consider that Winston also threw 30 interceptions.

The question for Jameis Winston isn’t his athletic ability and arm strength but his consistency and accuracy.

Is Sean Payton an Offensive Guru?

Is Sean Payton an offensive genius, or did his schemes perform better with an all-time great QB under center? We will find out this year.

The New Orleans Saints roster, other than Drew Brees, experienced little turnover during the 2020 offseason. Favorite Brees weapons like Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara expect to get a lot of touches.

What’s concerning is the Saints’ lack of offensive depth. Brees’ skill covered a lot of roster deficiencies over the last five years of his career. Now, it’s up to Payton to figure out a scheme that gives Winston the best chance to succeed.

Two Week Eye Test

The Saints won a stunning, emotional opening game against the Green Bay Packers. The online NFL betting odds had the Saints close as +4 underdogs, but they won 38-3.

Week 1 saw Winston throw for 148 yards and 5 TDs as he put the woes of a hurricane-ravaged city on his shoulders.

Unfortunately, Week 2 couldn’t have gone much worse. The Carolina Panthers stuffed the Saints running attack, and Winston threw for only 111 yards and two picks.

Which Winston Shows Up?

The Saints travel to Foxboro this week for a matchup against the New England Patriots.

While the Patriots’ offense with rookie QB Mac Jones has yet to show any dynamic scoring ability, they boast a typical stingy Belichick defense. Current NFL betting odds have the Saints as +3 underdogs.

Which Jameis Winston will show? The efficient Week 1 passer or the Week 2 turnover machine?

New Orleans Saints 2021 Offensive Outlook

The New Orleans Saints’ new era started with a bang during Week 1. Unfortunately, everything that went right in that game against Green Bay went wrong versus Carolina.

The Saints’ offense with Jameis Winston as QB has potential for great heights if Payton can find a way to help Winston cut down on the mistakes.

Week 3 of the NFL season looks like it’ll be the most exciting we’ve seen this year. Are you ready to lay some action? BetMGM offers the best in online betting. Sign up today and start playing.