Jameis Winston made New Orleans contenders in his debut

The rest of the NFC South certainly took note on Sunday as we got our first look at the Jameis Winston-led New Orleans Saints. For the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, it was nothing but bad news on a day that saw Winston lead a 38-3 blowout of Aaron Rodgers and the Packers.

Winston looked better than Brees ever did last season running the offense and demolishing a Packers team coming off of playing in the NFC championship.

Jameis completed 5-touchdown passes and added in 37-rushing yards looking every bit the franchise quarterback he rarely did in his four years in Tampa.

Have the New Orleans Saints turned Jameis Winston into their next franchise icon?

Drew Brees kept the Saints relevant and is one of the all-time greats at the position. However, there is also no denying he faded down the stretch of the last two seasons and the Saints still managed to be top contenders.

Now with Jameis, there is reason to think this team could pick up right where they left off only this time with a younger quarterback.

Winston’s problems throughout his career have been his recklessness both on and off the field. Something there wasn’t even a hint of in Sunday’s win. Could the Saints have turned Winston into a franchise quarterback that will give Carolina and Atlanta even more nightmares?

We only have one week of games to judge from in a very long season but if it were any indication of things to come the rest of the division should be concerned.

Not only did Winston shock in his debut the New Orleans defense looked elite in a rousing performance that saw Aaron Rodgers manage only three points in four quarters. Now the question going into week two is, was this game more about the Saints’ dominance or the Packers being checked out?

Week two is going to tell us a lot about both of these teams. If the Packers look good in week two it is bad news for the NFC South. Carolina in particular who is getting ready to take on these Saints in week two.

Winston is still only twenty-seven years old and likely has ten years left of playing time. A decade the Saints hope comes with a team that just may have found the answer to life after Drew Brees.