Jameis Winston takes accountability for poor protection in New Orleans Saints loss

Jameis Winston and the New Orleans Saints fell to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday in a game that swung in Carolina’s direction as early as the opening kickoff, with the Saints scoring just once in a 26-7 loss. Their only touchdown came early in the fourth quarter, with Winston executing an 8-yard touchdown run.

Winston took a beating in the game. He was sacked four times, losing 31 yards on those four plays, and the Panthers’ pass rush was frequently finding its way behind the line of scrimmage. Carolina, in addition to the four sacks, registered `11 quarterback hits, while also defending three passes.

Although Winston’s pass protection was abysmal, at best, the Saints quarterback seemed to take responsibility for the lack of protection, saying the subpar performance — which he attributed to a lack of communication — could have been solved with better communication on his end.

“I’ve got to get better,” Winston said. “I’ve got to get us in better protections and just communicate better [with the offensive line].”

Winston led inefficient offense

Winston and the Saints offense was extremely inefficient on Sunday, both through the air and on the ground. Winston completed 11 of 22 pass attempts, good for 111 passing yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions, which adds up to a 21.4 quarterback rating. His top receiver, in terms of yardage, was Lil’Jordan Humphrey, who had one mere reception for 27 yards. On the ground, Winston was the Saints’ leading rusher; he had three carries for 19 yards and a touchdown, and he was followed by backup quarterback Taysom Hill, who logged two carries for 16 yards. Starting running back Alvin Kamara had eight carries for just five yards.

“We just have to push forward,” Winston said. “Put this one behind us. Build on the positives, eliminate the negatives and come back next week ready to fight and compete.”

The Saints seemed unable to sustain momentum on offense, while committing game-changing mental errors on defense. The Saints offense converted just two of 11 third-down attempts, with most drives being cut short before they had even started. On defense, the Saints gifted the Panthers with six first downs via penalties.

“I think rhythm is a big part of offensive success,” Winston said. “So, we will find that. We will find a way to play the football that we like to play and we’re going to learn from this one.”

In a tale of two performances, Winston and the Saints followed up a near-perfect performance in Week 1 — a 38-3 win over the Green Bay Packers — with a mistake-ridden Week 2 loss. Next up, the Saints will travel to Gillette Stadium in Week 3 to take on the New England Patriots.