The New Orleans Saints have been led by backup quarterback Andy Dalton in the absence of starter Jameis Winston, and there have been varying results thus far for Saints head coach Dennis Allen.
Dalton took on the Cincinnati Bengals, his former team, on Sunday. Following that game, there may be more questions than answers at the quarterback position in New Orleans.
It was a so-so performance for Dalton, who finished with only 162 yards and one passing touchdown in a losing effort. This loss dropped Dalton’s record as the starter this year with the Saints to 1-2 with Winston’s return to action quickly approaching.
Many expect that Winston will be the team’s starter when he is able to return from his fractured back, but coach Dennis Allen did not offer much confidence that he will be ready to go for their Week 7 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
Winston was cleared for Sunday’s game, but Allen ultimately decided to play Dalton, saying in a postgame interview that Winston is not quite ready to return yet.
“Let’s get in the study on that and we’ll see where he’s at and then we’ll go from there,” said Allen via ESPN’s Katherine Terrell on Winston’s availability for their upcoming game.
It is worth noting that New Orleans plays on Thursday night this upcoming week, so Winston will have less time to prepare than usual if he is cleared to start.
The Saints currently sit at 2-4 on the season, so whoever ends up making the start on Thursday will need to make a big impact to help turn their season around.
[ESPN.com]