TAMPA – The roller coaster ride of the Jameis Winston Chronicles occurred big time on Sunday in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 38-35 win over the Indianapolis Colts.
His line for the day was incredible as he completed 33 of 45 passes for a career high 456 yards and four touchdowns, but three interceptions were unfortunately what the media and fans here in Tampa would dwell on way more than they should.
Why? Because this time Winston engineered what many thought was an improbable win.
Yes, he has 23 interceptions during this season, but at least 10 of those are on the shoulders of an on-again, off-again offensive line that often fails in pass blocking. Then add to the mix that on some interceptions, the receivers let ball hit their mitts and then go into the arms of opposing defenders.
Sunday was no different, but the way the Buccaneers responded certainly was.
“I thought we were all of a sudden resting on laurels that we don’t have,” said Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians. “It kind of came out that way in the first half, but that’s why you play 60 minutes. They were able to regroup and get some things said and done and go back and win the ball game in the second half.”
Indianapolis linebacker Darius Leonard, who is having a career season in just his second year out of South Carolina State, picked off Winston’s first pass at the outset of the first quarter. Then, quarterback Jacoby Brissett hit Marcus Johnson on a 46-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 Indianapolis lead.
Fast forward to the third quarter with the Colts nursing a 17-14 lead. Leonard dropped into the middle of the field and picked off Winston and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.
In the past – even earlier this season – this type of thing bogged down the Bucs and played on their minds. This time was different.
“That’s what I have to continue to do – being able to bounce back is in my blood,” said Winston. “I was blessed to be like that, but I have to not put us in that situation. That’s what I am going to be working on heavily.”
It could have been even worse after the Colts went up 35-21 when Brissett hit Zach Paschal on a 13-yard strike and a subsequent two-point conversion with 5:59 remaining in the third quarter.
But, Winston circled the wagons and put on a “refuse to lose” mantra.
He drove the Bucs 75 yards in five plays and hit rookie Justin Watson with his first NFL touchdown catch to cut the Colts’ lead to 35-28.
The third pick could have been the killer when Colts defensive back Malik Hooker picked off Winston after Tampa Bay’s Mike Edwards had recovered a Nahiem Hines fumble. However, Tampa Bay’s defense stiffened and Chase McLaughlin – standing in for Adam Vinitieri – missed a 40-yard field goal.
The door stood open for Winston and it gave him and the Buccaneers more life.
He led Tampa Bay on a methodical 8-play, 63-yard drive which ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Breshad Perriman with 2:41 to play. It ate up nearly six minutes off of the clock and finished a 17-point run, ending in the Bucs’ third win in a row and sixth of the season.
“That usually crushes a guy,” Arians said of Winston’s third interception. “The first one – we have 50 minutes – let’s go. But that one after we created the turnover and give it back, to them, go down and win the game just peaks a lot about the guy’s character.”
Arians said earlier in the week that no decision would be made until after the season on whether or not to keep Winston, who is in his contract year.
The comment speaks volumes though about B.A.’s love and admiration for the kid he tutored as a high school coach as Winston attended his camps in Alabama.
Winston is one of the most interception prone quarterbacks in the modern era, but where are you going to go? Andy Dalton? Kyle Allen? Gardiner Minshew?
No, thank you! Look, I like the type of comedy saturated with Will Farrell and Seth Regan. Not the type that jettisons a quarterback like Winston who fashions 300- and 400-yard passing outings regularly. You have to trust Arians and offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich to be able to fix the interception problem.
Remember, this is their first season here in the Bay and they are rebuilding in a big way.
Winston gives you a chance every time you step on the field. In a game like Sunday, he gives you the chance to win a shootout. The key is fixing his reads so that he doesn’t force balls in traffic and throw those picks.
He even gave way to back up Ryan Griffin briefly to start the second half because of a small fracture on his throwing thumb. Griffin was ill-equipped to pile up yardage on the Colts and the air also seemed like it had been taken out of the stadium as it was hushed.
Once Winston came back in, he was money as the emotional rally showed.
“It’s a damn good thing that I’m a young, healthy man because coaching the nicest team in the league is tough,” Arians mused. “We just love spotting 15-17 points to the other team and then coming back to beat them.”
It was just another day in the Jameis Winston Chronicles and this chapter had a happy ending.
