The New Orleans Saints are in London this week for their NFL International Series game against the Minnesota Vikings this Sunday. But a crucial player was missing from their first practice of the week.
According to Saints insider Mike Triplett, starting quarterback Jameis Winston was absent from the early portion of the team’s practice on Wednesday. Backup quarterback Taysom Hill took the reps at quarterback in Winston’s place.
Winston has reportedly been battling some injuries lately and was believed to be playing through a lot of pain during the Saints’ game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. He completed 61-percent of his passes for 353 yards and one touchdown but threw two interceptions in a 22-14 loss.
However, Winston still managed to play the entire game and did not miss a single offensive snap. We’ll find out later today just how much his injuries are affecting his ability to practice.
After throwing for two touchdowns and no interceptions in a Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons it was widely believed that Jameis Winston had turned a corner from the turnover-prone performances that were so frequent during his Tampa Bay Buccaneers days.
But over the last two games he’s thrown five interceptions and now leads the NFL in the category. Those five interceptions already exceed the three he threw in seven games last year.
Maybe the injuries are making it harder for Winston to put the ball where he wants. But if the injuries aren’t the cause, then benching him could wind up being head coach Dennis Allen’s solution.
Will Jameis Winston play against the Vikings this Sunday?