New Orleans Saints

Did Jameis Winston win the starting QB job for the Saints on Monday?

Updated Aug. 24, 2021 9:01 p.m. ET

The New Orleans Saints entered the preseason with two hopefuls competing for the vacant starting quarterback spot: Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill.

Following Monday night's 23-21 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, it seems as though Winston has established himself as the front-runner, if not the outright winner, of that battle.

Winston dazzled in his limited action, going 9-for-10 for 123 yards and two touchdowns in less than a full quarter of work.

The 27-year-old quarterback marched the Saints 72 yards down the field for a TD on the game's opening possession, finding Marquez Callaway with a 43-yard strike.

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It was a brilliant catch from Callaway, and it foreshadowed a big evening from the second-year wideout. Winston hooked up with Callaway again on New Orleans' third drive of the quarter, connecting for a 29-yard touchdown to make it 14-0.

That was Winston's last act of the tilt, and he finished with a passer rating of 157.5 before giving way to Hill.

The 31-year-old Hill didn't have an awful game by any means. He went 11-for-20 for 138 yards, one touchdown and a 74.5 passer rating before third-stringer Trevor Siemian came in to play the fourth quarter.

However, Winston's near-flawless performance was tough to hold a candle to. The 2015 No. 1 pick showed explosiveness that Hill couldn't match, as Winston averaged 12.3 yards per completion, compared to Hill's 6.9 YPC.

After the game, head coach Sean Payton remained noncommittal on a starting QB during his news conference.

"We'll see. I'll keep you posted," Payton said when asked about the situation. "Yeah, I don't have a timeframe, though. When we know which direction we’re going, we’ll let you guys know."

While Payton might be hesitant to make a declaration, pundits are not.

To Skip Bayless of "Undisputed," Winston sealed the deal with his pair of touchdown throws Monday night.

"To my eyes last night, Jameis just ran away with the job with just basically those two throws," Bayless said. "They were spectacular, bombs-away kind of throws."

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Nick Wright of "First Things First" had similar thoughts, saying that Winston's performance makes the decision much easier for Payton.

"It's over, America," Wright said. "This quarterback competition that never should've been an actual competition is over. Jameis Winston is the starting quarterback. And the reason I know it is because Jameis Winston is the only quarterback. Taysom Hill is a lot of things … a quarterback, however, he is not. … It is now not even a discussion."

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If Winston does get the start in Week 1, he'll have some legendary shoes to fill, of course. Replacing Drew Brees, a future first-ballot Hall of Famer and the league's all-time leader with 80,358 passing yards, is a tall order.

As Shannon Sharpe pointed out, though, Winston will bring something to the table that Brees couldn't late in his career.

"He's not gonna be Drew Brees," Sharpe said. "But what he will give you is the ability to throw the ball over their heads, which Drew lacked last year. … I believe Jameis Winston won the job last night. … The offense is gonna look totally different, but I believe he can be more than a serviceable quarterback. He was the No. 1 overall draft pick for a reason."

Perhaps the most important factor for Winston on Monday was that he didn't turn the ball over against the Jaguars. With 88 interceptions and 50 fumbles across his six-year career, turnovers have been an overwhelming issue.

So far this preseason, he has three touchdowns and one interception in 22 passing attempts, with the pick coming in a sloppy preseason performance across the board from the Saints against the Baltimore Ravens.

If Winston can play clean football, it would appear that the starting job is his. But if carelessness creeps back into his game, he could fumble the opportunity away.

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