The New Orleans Saints made it official on Saturday afternoon, announcing that Jameis Winston has been downgraded to out for Sunday morning's game against the Minnesota Vikings in London.
Winston was held out of practices all week due to back and ankle injuries and was not expected to play, but had initially been listed as doubtful. This is Winston's second season as the Saints' starter, and he has now missed time due to injury during both of those campaigns. He started the first seven games for New Orleans a year ago, but tore his ACL in Week 8.
Backup quarterback Andy Dalton is expected to start in Winston's place against Minnesota, though Taysom Hill seems likely to get some snaps in specialized packages as well, considering he often does even when Winston is under center.
The Saints will also be without wide receiver Michael Thomas and guard Andrus Peat, while wideout Jarvis Landry and running back Alvin Kamara are each listed as questionable. So, the Saints will be rolling with a backup quarterback, a depleted offensive line, and a banged-up skill-position corps.
New Orleans has lost back-to-back games after opening the season with a come-from-behind win over the division rival Atlanta Falcons. The Saints have managed just 24 combined points across their last two games, and now face the prospect of trying to keep up with a Minnesota offense featuring explosive potential, but doing so without several of their top options.
