Saints' Andy Dalton to Start over Healthy Jameis Winston vs. Raiders in Week 8

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jameis Winston is fully recovered from the back and ankle injuries that forced him to miss the last four games, but he's not getting his starting job back.

Saints head coach Dennis Allen announced Wednesday that veteran Andy Dalton will remain the starter for the team's Week 8 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders over Winston, who started New Orleans' first three games. Allen called the move "an offensive decision."

New Orleans (2-5) has gone 1-3 with Dalton as the starter this season. He's thrown for 946 yards, seven touchdowns and four interceptions in his four games, and Allen said there's "no need to upset the apple cart" by changing quarterbacks. He also noted that Dalton will remain the starter as long as he is playing well.

Despite the team's losing record, the Saints offense has performed well this year. New Orleans ranks third in the NFL in total offense with an average of 398.3 yards and seventh in scoring offense at 25.0 points per game. The team's offense took off when Winston was sidelined, as New Orleans averaged 17.0 points in his three starts and went 1-2.

However, the Saints have struggled on the other side of the ball all season and rank second-to-last in scoring defense with opposing teams averaging 28.6 points against them.

New Orleans has dealt with injuries to its defensive backfield, as starting cornerbacks Marshon Lattimore and Paulson Adebo were sidelined for last Sunday's 42-34 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. The Saints lost veteran cornerback Bradley Roby to an ankle injury in that game, and he was placed on injured reserve on Tuesday.

Things won't get easier this week, as the Saints will face a Raiders offense that ranks third in the league with 27.2 points per game.