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Winston: Saints' blowout of Packers was for city of New Orleans

James Gilbert / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The New Orleans Saints scored one of the more shocking outcomes of the NFL's opening weekend, blowing out the Green Bay Packers 38-3 in a home game held in Jacksonville after Hurricane Ida hit Louisiana in late August.

The Saints dedicated their performance to their hometown supporters.

"That was for the city. Shoutout to the city of New Orleans. We did that for them," Saints quarterback Jameis Winston said postgame. "We knew how much it would mean to get a great victory for that region, they've been through so much."

Hurricane Ida has resulted in 26 deaths as of last week. The storm left more than 1 million people without power, including all of New Orleans, when it made landfall Aug. 29. Many area residents still don't have water and/or electricity.

Though the Saints couldn't play their season opener at the Caesars Superdome, they hoped to make those in New Orleans proud with their Week 1 win.

"For us to be able to celebrate this victory with them, it's just hats off to them for their resilience," Winston said of the fans. "Because they motivated us, they inspired us to (go) out there and ball."

The Saints' next two games will come on the road against the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots. They're scheduled to return home to face the New York Giants on Oct. 3.

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