PFF names top five grade Buccaneers vs. Panthers

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CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – SEPTEMBER 12: Jameis Winston #3 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers runs with the ball in the third quarter during their game against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on September 12, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images) /

2. QB Jameis Winston

The future for Jameis Winston looked bleak after a week one meltdown in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers, where he threw a pick-six on a potential game-winning drive for the Buccaneers. However, Thursday night, Winston played a much cleaner game for the pewter and red, and as a result, was graded as the second-best Buccaneer by PFF with a score of 81.8.

Finishing the game with 208 yards passing and a touchdown to Godwin, Winston completed an impressive 64 percent of his passes. Most importantly, the former Heisman Trophy winner did not have any turnovers as he led the Buccaneers to victory; Winston’s completion percentage is a bit low as well, considering there were multiple drops by his intended targets.

Winston has been rocky to start his career, and that may be putting it mildly; this 2019 season has started with a bit of the same flavor. However, the Buccaneers’ coaching staff and the entire city of Tampa would prefer for him to take care of the ball and be a bit more careful than to throw putrid interceptions.

Cutting it too loose in the first game, Winston may have dialed it back a bit too much for Arians’ liking as at least one of his sacks was a coverage sack where he should have thrown it away or tucked it and run. However, he took care of the football here in this one and put a smile on the face of Tampa as the Buccaneers squeaked out a tight victory over the Panthers and start their tour towards an NFC South crown on the right foot.

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