It’s easy to put the blame on rookie kicker Kyle Bridza because he missed three field goals and an extra point, but this is a team game. Therefore, it’s a team loss.
Backup running back Alfred Blue shouldn’t have gashed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense the way he did, to the tune of 139 yards on 31 carries and a touchdown. The offense should’ve been much, much better on converting third downs. Going 1 for 12 is simply unacceptable. The drops. Oh, the drops! Let’s just (try to) leave it at that.
Next: Houston Texans 19, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 9: Reaction
Even with all the negatives, the Buccaneers still had a few positives to take away from Sunday’s loss. “It was a promising loss,” Winston said in the post-game press conference. “I know it’s ironic, but it was a very promising loss.” The Bucs’ offensive line, which features two rookies, was able to put an end to J.J. Watt’s consecutive games streak (7) with a sack streak. The Texans’ defense, as a whole, didn’t record a single sack.
The Bucs’ offensive line was able to keep Winston upright the entire game, paving the way for a solid day for the rookie signal caller. The 17 for 36 passing doesn’t sound “solid,” but drops had a lot to do with Jameis’ final numbers. Oh, did we mention all the drops?
In just his third career NFL start, Winston looked incredibly comfortable throwing the ball, picking his spots and reading what the Houston defense was giving him. There were times where the former Seminoles quarterback showed his rookie form (see: his third quarter interception), but those moments were few and far between.
In this week’s edition of best moments, we will highlight some Winston’s better throws where he looked every bit like the franchise quarterback that the Bucs thought they got when they took him with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft.