Jameis Winston starts second half for Saints after Drew Brees takes nasty hit

Jameis Winston starts for the second half against the San Francisco 49ers, as Drew Brees stands on the sidelines.

Entering Sunday, the New Orleans Saints were the heavy favorites against the injury-riddled San Francisco 49ers. After falling down 7-0 after the first quarter, the Saints bounced back, thanks to two touchdowns by stud running back Alvin Kamara, giving them a 17-10 lead at halftime.

When the Saints emerged from the tunnel, it was Jamies Winston who took the field with the Saints, as starting quarterback Brees stood on the sideline. Towards the end of the first half Brees did take a nasty hit by 49ers defensive lineman Kentavius Street. Shortly after Winston made waves with taking the field, the Saints revealed that Brees is questionable to return with a rib injury.

Saints signed Winston for reasons like this

Brees had been dealing with right shoulder issues for the past two weeks , and the hits he took against the 49ers didn’t help matters, especially the hit in the above tweet.

This past offseason, the Saints decided to pickup a contingency plan in case Brees were to go down with an injury. So, they opted to sign Winston, the former first-overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Just last year, the Saints had to pivot to Teddy Bridgewater after Brees broke his thumb in the second game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams. Bridgewater managed to go 5-0 as a starter, and helped them clinch a spot in the playoffs. With Bridgewater cashing in on a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, the Saints had to look elsewhere and Winston checked all the boxes for them.

Prior to exiting the game, Brees completed 8-of-13 pass attempts for 76 yards and a touchdown.

It’s unknown if Brees will be able to return to the game, but it’s important to note that he is standing on the sidelines with helmet in hand.