As New Orleans Saints fans feared all week, the team is expected to be without starting quarterback Jameis Winston and star receiver Michael Thomas for their Week 4 game in London against the Minnesota Vikings.
The health of the Saints QB has been a building issue for weeks. In the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 1 win over the Atlanta Falcons, the top pick in the 2015 NFL Draft took a hit to his back that gave the medical staff reason for concern. A week after the blow, NFL insider Jay Glazer revealed that Winston had four fractures in his back and was dealing with a bunch of pain ever since.
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The former Florida State star has been absent from the team’s first few days of practice for their Sunday morning game in England. While head coach Dennis Allen and the QB tried to ease fans’ concerns by making it seem as if the missed practices were all a part of a plan to make sure he was ready for game day, it seems that the rest won’t be enough.
On Friday morning, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that the “Saints believe it’s doubtful that Jameis Winston, who didn’t practice today for a third straight day, will play Sunday, which makes it likely that QB Andy Dalton will start vs. the Vikings.”
- Jameis Winston stats (2022): 858 yards, 4 TD, 5 INT, 79.5 rating
If Winston’s back injury becomes serious enough to sideline him for multiple games, it would be the second straight season where he missed a notable amount of starts after an ACL tear cost him all but seven games in 2021.
New Orleans Saints will also be without Michael Thomas versus Vikings in Week 4
Jameis Winston is not the only impact player the Saints will be without in Week 4. Two-time All-Pro wide receiver Michael Thomas has also been officially ruled out of Sunday’s game against Minnesota, according to Schefter.
- Michael Thomas stats (2022): 16 catches, 171 yards, 2 TD
Thomas is returning to the field in 2022 after missing all of last season and much of 2020 after surgery and setbacks from an ankle injury. A foot issue is reportedly what held Thomas out of practice this week and has now cost him at least one game this season.
The seven-year veteran and three-time Pro Bowler started the first three weeks of the 2022 NFL season and produced solid numbers. Catching 16 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns so far.