The Tampa Bay Buccaneers came back to win at home yesterday against the struggling Indianapolis Colts, 38-35, courtesy of a career day by quarterback Jameis Winston, who finished with a career-high 456 yards to go along with four touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown.
But, as has been the case with Winston throughout his career, with the good comes the bad. The Bucs quarterback also threw three interceptions, which ultimately resulted in 14 points off turnovers for the Colts. It seems that more often than not, the Bucs are playing catch-up or trying to atone for Winston’s mistakes. He currently leads the NFL with 23 interceptions (career-high), and while some people will say he deserves to come back to the team next season, others will point out the staggering number of turnovers he’s had since coming into the league as reason not to.
And, to give you an idea of just how big Winston’s interception problem is, you need look no further than Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in 2005 and sat for three seasons behind Brett Favre, has played in 178 games during his NFL career, starting 171. In that time, he’s thrown a mind-boggling 361 touchdowns to just 82 interceptions. Winston, meanwhile, has played in 69 career games, starting 67, and thrown 114 touchdowns to 81 interceptions, meaning he is just one interception away from tying Rodgers in career picks. Keep in mind, too, Winston was drafted 10 years after Rodgers in the 2015 NFL Draft and has played in 100 fewer games.
Winston could very well end up back in Tampa Bay next season if the Bucs decide to roll the dice once more on their former top pick. But, when you look at his interceptions, especially compared to other high-level quarterbacks out there, it definitely gives you cause for concern.
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