The New Orleans Saints are currently not having tons of fun. What is fun in the NFL? Winning. The Cleveland Browns just got a nice taste of that in Week 8 with a victory over the Baltimore Ravens, who very few folks thought they would have c acne against entering Sunday.
Of course, divisional matchups are just different on the gridiron. The Browns got a big-time win to keep their season alive, while the Saints fell to 2-6 after a 28-6 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
They've lost six games in a row for the first time since 2005.
As for the Browns, who navigated them to their win this past weekend? It is a familiar face to Saints fans, and they may have mixed emotions regarding the outcome.
Jameis Winston dominates in first 2024 start
Winston headed to the Cleveland Browns during this past offseason. After Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending injury last week for the Browns, Winston is the new starter for Cleveland.
Winston went 27-of-41 for 334 yards and three touchdowns. The biggest key stat is that Winston did not throw an interception. The wide receivers were elevated as a whole. Cedric Tillman recorded seven catches for 99 yards and Elijah Moore had 85 yards. Jerry Jeudy added 79 yards for Cleveland and David Njoku had five catches for 61 yards.
Winston clearly elevated the offense by pushing the ball downfield, but it was one more game under Nick Chubb’s belt where they were able to ramp him up a little bit more. Chubb finished with 52 yards on 16 runs.
-- Brandon Little, A to Z Sports
After a dominant performance and exciting win over one of the best teams in football, the veteran QB and leader took advantage of it by previewing new shirts to sell on social media.
Winston was never looked at as a legitimate starting candidate for the Saints. They loved having him as their backup, and he performed well at times in The Big Easy when forced into action.
Rattler's opportunity and struggles
With New Orleans' recent struggles, especially after Derek Carr's injury, there has been plenty of discussion around letting Winston walk in the offseason. The Saints chose to draft Spencer Rattler and keep Jake Haener as a cheaper option to backup Carr on their offense.
Now, Winston just showed off his skills against a top team in the AFC. Meanwhile, Rattler was benched in the Saints' loss to Los Angeles. He has shown flashes of his physical traits, but overall, his performances with Carr sidelined have had some large blemishes.
That should not be held completely against the rookie QB, either. The offensive line struggled for much of his time as the starter, and he is getting his first NFL action against professional defenses. It is much different than the college level.
Derek Carr has a chance to return to start for New Orleans in Week 9, according to Dennis Allen.
All in all, Winston's impressive performance and hype after an exciting win may only make Saints fans shake their head a bit more with their favorite team's recent struggles.
Related: Free agent WR Michael Thomas makes simple statement about Saints' struggles on social media
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