New Orleans Saints Get Full Jameis Winston Experience In Loss To Minnesota Vikings

Trusting Jameis Winston to lead your team can be fun, but risky. The New Orleans Saints got reminded of that Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings.

After Derek Carr suffered an injury in the third quarter, the Saints thrust Winston into the fray. And it didn’t take long for him to make an impact.

Down 27-3 with 5:30 to go in the third quarter, Winston looked in Chris Olave’s direction and tossed him a jump ball. Somehow, someway, the wideout hauled in the 14-yard throw to get the saints within 18 (Alvin Kamara converted the 2-point try immediately after).

Watch that again and tell me if you think the play had any business being a touchdown. Though it was a (apparently) perfect ball, Olave had to jump over a dude and drag his feet with barely any space in the back corner of the endzone. Olave made an elite-level play on this ball.

Everyone at home knew the chances of this getting caught were slim, and so did Next Gen Stats. According to their X page, the Winston-Olave connection was the most improbable throw to go for a touchdown of the season.

Jameis Winston's Day Got Wilder After That

Winston did not stop making unlikely plays there either. Facing a 3rd-and-8 from the Vikings’ 15-yard line, Winston rolled to his left and looked for options.

He found A.T. Perry open in the corner of the end zone. The only problem was that it was in the right corner, on the other side of the field. Perry was open, Winston’s only problem was getting him the ball when he was 45 yards away.

Well, that’s nothing a little arm strength can’t handle. And by a little, I mean a lot. 

Winston zipped the ball to Perry, who wrestled it away from his defender to the score.

I’d like to see the probability-of-catch stats on that score. Frankly, it might be more insane than his first throw.

However, that’s where it all unraveled for Winsotn. Later in the fourth, he forced a unnecessary throw to Olave on a crucial drive that Mekhi Blackmon intercepted.

Despite the critical error, New Orleans got the ball back once again, giving Winston a chance ot be the hero. Unfortunately, his couldn't get over his tendency tendency to turn the ball over and threw another interception.

The Jameis Winston experience always promises fun, craziness, and unpredictably. Unfortunately, it often doesn’t lead to wins.