Jameis Winston throws 5 TDs and leads the New Orleans Saints to the superb rout of the Green Bay Packers

JACKSONVILLE, Fla .– Despite losing retired Drew Brees and their home stadium to Hurricane Ida for Week 1, the New Orleans Saints and Jameis Winston got off to a surprisingly dominant start in Week 1 .

Winston threw five touchdown passes on his Saints debut – with zero turnovers – as they deflected the Green Bay Packers 38-3 to their makeshift “home” spot at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. He ended his day with a 55-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Deonte Harris in the fourth quarter, while the New Orleans defense was equally dominant with two interceptions against reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers.

Winston, 27, was actually one of 10 new starters for the Saints in Week 1 due to Brees’ retirement, an offseason salary cap purge, injuries and suspension. The team also lost notable cross Erik McCoy to an unspecified leg injury in the first quarter.

On top of that, the Saints have spent the past two weeks training in the Dallas area after Hurricane Ida left most of the New Orleans area without power when it hit the coast. Gulf on August 29.

Nonetheless, Winston and the Saints responded with one of the most effective and dominant performances of the entire Sean Payton era. They owned the ball for 21:51 in the first half; that’s been the Saints’ longest possession time since 2000. And they became the first NFL team to stage 15-game back-to-back touchdowns since 2000, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

Winston was remarkably efficient for most of the game, often settling for smart controls or stepping away from pressure – as he ran four times for 38 yards and three first downs. He had just 93 passing yards before adding the 55-yard homerun to Harris early in the fourth quarter. Winston had an interception in the second half that was overruled by a personal foul penalty.

The Saints will return this week to Dallas, where they trained at the TCU facility. It’s unclear when they’ll return home to New Orleans now that power is returning to the entire region. Their next home game is scheduled for Week 4 against the New York Giants.