Say what you want about Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and his habit of throwing interceptions, but there’s no denying the guy can put up yards and points.
In last Sunday’s Week 14 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Winston threw for a career-high 456 yards to go along with four touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown. But, Winston also threw three interceptions, two of which led to eventual Colts touchdowns, including one pick-six. On the year, the Bucs signal caller has a league-high 23 interceptions, and is on pace to finish the year with a jaw-dropping 28 picks.
But, he’s also on pace to do something historic; something that would propel him into a class of elite quarterbacks. With his monster passing game on Sunday, Winston now has 4,115 yards on the year, already a new career-high. He’s also now on pace to finish the season with 5,065 passing yards, which would make him just the eighth quarterback in NFL history to accomplish that feat, joining Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, Ben Roethlisberger, Patrick Mahomes, Dan Marino and Matthew Stafford. Not even Aaron Rodgers has achieved that mark.
Whether or not this season will be deemed a success by the Bucs remains to be seen, especially when you consider they still have to figure out what to do with Winston beyond this year. But, having your quarterback eclipse 5,000 yards in his first season playing for a new coach might be reason enough to overlook the interceptions and roll the dice one more time.
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