New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) is carted off the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was injuredat the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. New Orleans Saints quarterback Trevor Siemian (15) replaced Jameis Winston (2) after he was injured in the first half. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) works during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sep. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) works in the pocket against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) works during the first half of an NFL football game against the Atlanta Falcons, Sunday, Sep. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Danny Karnik)

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) works in the pocket against the Atlanta Falcons during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 11, 2022, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)

Scrambling to avoid a swarm of defenders as the pocket collapsed around him, New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston ran through an opening to the left.

He made it 3 yards past the line of scrimmage before Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Devin White grabbed Winston near the neck of his jersey and threw him to the ground. A horse-collar penalty was enforced for the tackle.

Saints running back Mark Ingram helped his teammate up with both hands. Winston managed to limp six steps toward the sideline before collapsing on the field inside the Caesars Superdome. Two trainers had to help him into the injury tent, where Winston initially had no idea had badly he was hurt.

“I tried to get back out there,” Winston said, recalling that Oct. 31 game. “Just wasn’t physically able to.”

Winston didn’t take another snap. Backup Trevor Siemian replaced him.

The Saints ultimately defeated the Buccaneers, 36-27. A late fourth-quarter pick-six by Saints cornerback P.J. Williams stopped quarterback Tom Brady’s comeback pursuit and sealed the deal for the home team.

“I was just rooting for us to win, and we won,” Winston said. “That excitement, as a team, was more important than my injury at the time. Because the show goes on.

“I was hoping for a miracle MRI result, but it didn’t happen.”

Winston tore the ACL and damaged the MCL in his left knee. He was out for the remainder of the season, his first as the starting quarterback in New Orleans.

The Saints finished 9-8. They did not make the playoffs for the first time since 2016.

“The whole year was unfinished business, right?” Winston said. “My goal is to finish every year, and I didn’t do that.”

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston (2) is carted off the field during the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after he was injuredat the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021. New Orleans Saints quarterback Trevor Siemian (15) replaced Jameis Winston (2) after he was injured in the first half. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)

Fast-forward to the present and the scene sets itself.

The Saints (1-0) host the Buccaneers (1-0) at noon Sunday in their home opener. Winston is back, albeit with a brace on his left knee and a questionable status on Friday’s injury report. There's still a good chance he will take the snaps Sunday.

“I’m just grateful that I have this opportunity now,” Winston said. “Hopefully, I don’t have to relive that moment again. I’m just pressing forward and keeping my eyes focused on this week.”

He has been doing that since he was injured.

The consensus among teammates and coaches is Winston attacked recovery with positive energy. Even when he sprained his right foot during the preseason, there were no negative vibes.

“He’s got a lot of passion, a lot of energy,” offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael said. “He loves to play the game, and he’s been great to have. Just … he’s been Jameis since he’s been here.”

Sunday already holds added weight given the team and environment after last season’s outcome. The Buccaneers are the same opponent, with White still on the roster. And the Superdome is still there, and this will be Winston's first regular-season home game since the injury.

The Buccaneers are also Winston’s former team. They used the No. 1 pick to draft him in 2015, and he remained with the organization through 2019.

That’s a lot going on for the second week of the season.

“Well, look, I don't want to speak for him,” coach Dennis Allen said about Winston. “That would be unfair of me to try to talk for him in that regard. But I know if that was me that, yeah, it probably would mean a little something extra.”

Winston wouldn’t admit such a thing, and maybe he really doesn’t feel anything out of the ordinary.

“He’s super selfless,” Ingram said. “He’s all about his team, and that’s what you love from your QB1. That’s why guys love to play for him, love to go hard for him — be where they need to be for him to have success and help him have wins.”

That’s all Winston wanted for his teammates while he worked to return to health. Like Winston noted, the show goes on.

Now a new season is underway. 

“Again, this week is about us competing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers,” Winston said. “I’m here now, healthy and ready to rock.”

Email Terrin Waack at Terrin.Waack@theadvocate.com or follow her on Twitter @TerrinWaack. 

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