New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston tore his left ACL and sustained MCL damage, Saints coach Sean Payton confirmed Monday.
The injury happened Sunday in the second quarter of the Saints’ 36-27 victory over Winston’s former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Winston was injured during a horse-collar tackle by Bucs linebacker Devin White — who was flagged 15 yards for pulling Winston down by the shoulder area of his jersey, forcing him to land awkwardly. Winston’s left leg got pinned behind him as he hit the turf. Trainers and medical staff examined him on the field before helping him limp slowly to the sideline and into the medical tent. He was later assisted onto a cart and driven back to the locker room.
Winston completed 6 of 10 passes for 56 yards and a touchdown and scrambled four times for 40 yards before leaving the game with the score tied 7-7. For the season, Winston is 95-of-151 passing (59%) for 1,170 yards with 14 TDs and three interceptions.
Veteran backup quarterback Trevor Siemian replaced Winston and led the Saints (5-2) to an improbable win that was clinched by Bucs quarterback Tom Brady‘s third turnover of the game — an interception returned for a touchdown by defensive back P.J. Williams with 1:24 remaining.
“First, I want to say how gutted I am for Jameis. This win was for him,” said Siemian, who completed 16 of 29 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. “I just feel for the guy, I love him so much. Just being around him, you can’t help it, he’s got this infectious personality. And you’re just frickin’ gutted when you see anybody hurt. But watching him get hurt was tough.”
The Saints next host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. It’s unclear who will get the call under center. But Payton said Monday that the Saints are satisfied with their quarterback contingent, which includes Siemian, Taysom Hill (recovering from a concussion he sustained in Week 5) and rookie Ian Book.
Payton acknowledged the starter would be the “$6 million question” but declined to elaborate on who will start moving forward.
ESPN’s Mike Triplett and Jenna Laine contributed to this report.
