Saints Romp Pack

In the Florida heat, the Green Bay Packers melted down on both sides of the ball Sunday like candle wax, losing their displaced opener against the New Orleans Saints, 38-3. 

The Packers were humbled Sunday at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, the home stadium of the Jacksonville Jaguars, after a peaceable training camp that followed a tumultuous offseason. 

They entered with legitimate Super Bowl aspirations following consecutive 13- 3 seasons that ended in the NFC championship game. The Packers are still capable of having a season like that – it was just one game – but will need to go back to the drawing board after the worst opening loss since a 40-0 defeat against the Detroit Lions to open the 1970 season. 

The loss marked the worst margin of defeat in Aaron Rodgers’ NFL career. Rodgers threw for just 133 yards and two interceptions on 15-of-28 passing before Jordan Love, the team’s 2020 first-round pick, took over late in the blowout.

Saints quarterback Jameis Winston, meanwhile, threw five touchdowns despite tallying just 148 yards on 14-of-20 passing.

Naming Jameis Winston as the heir apparent to Drew Brees might have appeared risky for New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton. 

After all, Winston spent five years floundering in a choppy sea of turnovers and bad decisions at Tampa Bay and when the Buccaneers got the chance to sign Tom Brady, Winston was cast aside and he resurfaced with Saints, for whom he played in only four games and threw 11 passes last season. 

But Winston, who beat out Taysom Hill in the preseason to replace the retired Brees, showed on Sunday that the change of scenery might have been all he needed.  

Making plays with his arm and his feet and looking very much in command, Winston threw a career-high five touchdown passes to lead the Saints to a 38-3 opening-day victory over the Green Bay Packers and Aaron Rodgers, in front of 35,242 at TIAA Bank Field.  

Winston, who had 11 games of 300 or more yards in 2019, his last full season with the Bucs (and three of 400 or more yards), posted no such video-game numbers against the Packers. And 55 of his yards came on one play, a deep touchdown pass to Deonte Harris to cap the Saints’ scoring with 10:55 left. 

But all Payton wants from Winston is to avoid games such as the nine in the 2019 season in which he threw multiple interceptions. 

Winston completed 14 of 20 passes for 148 yards, and gained 37 yards rushing. His passer rating of 130.8, bolstered by no interceptions, was his second-best as a pro. 

Rodgers, who took his worst beating as a pro, was 15 of 28 for 133 yards and two interceptions.