Jameis Winston: Game 2 (vs. Bengals) Quick Recap and Grade

Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Jameis Winston got his second crack at taking an NFL offense by the reins on Monday Night Football against the Cincinnati Bengals. Below, a “quick take” and comprehensive recap of the rookie’s start, including final stats and game notes.

First Drive

Aug 24, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA;Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) warms up on the field before the start of an NFL preseason football game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Start: own 20

Finish: Winston one-yard rushing TD

• First play was a 9-yard checkdown to Doug Martin, which was followed by what appeared to be a change of play at the line of scrimmage for a big Martin run.
• Next pass, a play-action checkdown for 7 yards, followed by another impressive Martin run.
• Next pass, a strike to Austin Seferian-Jenkins for a first down — nice command and play design — followed by … an even better Doug Martin rush to the goal-line.
• On second-and-goal, a QB roll to the right side for a touchdown, capped by a dive at the end to break the plane.

Recap and Grade: 3-3, 27 yards and a rushing TD for Winston here. He showed impressive command and poise at the line. Helped by Martin’s rushing and the offensive line up front, the rookie was able to keep it simple and make easy throws. An ideal drive for Tampa Bay in Winston’s second NFL start and first appearance at home. A+

Second Drive

Start: own 10

Finish: Punt after one first down

• First pass of the drive, an easy toss to Vincent Jackson for 16 yards. Smooth and commanding, yet again.
• Next play, on a deep drop, a miss on a deep ball to Mike Evans, who had a clear step on the receiver. Could have been a TD.
• Another pass to Vincent Jackson on a scramble along the sidelines with pinpoint accuracy, but called back due to offensive pass interference. Bad result, but nice strike from Winston yet again.
• On 2nd-and-30, following a holding call, a screen to Charles Sims for 14 yards to set up a more manageable third down.
• Next play, a dart in a tight window on a pass that was dropped. 4th down the final result, but a solid showing from Winston.

Recap and Grade: Another relatively simple drive, other than the deep ball to Evans that Winston simply missed on. Given the circumstance, not a huge issue. Mid-season form should correct the inaccuracy on the deep-ball. Another solid drive considering two penalties and a miss. Grade: A-

Aug 24, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) works out prior to the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Third Drive

Start: own 29

Finish: Punt after a three-and-out

• Drive started out with a holding penalty (yes, another), followed by a bubble screen to Louis Murphy for about six yards on 1st-and-20.
• On the next play, Winston delivered a dime to Mike Evans from the pocket but it was broken up by Dre Kirkpatrick. Very good throw vs. very good coverage…
• On 3rd-and-12, a miss by Winston. Threw it into tight coverage and over intended receiver’s head to seal a three-and-out.

Recap and Grade: This was a simple three-and-out with a flag on first down. Tough to recover from, but Winston did try to drop a nice pass into the bucket on second down. The third down pass was a rookie play that you expect to see from every youngster — not a good decision, but his first mental mistake of the night. Grade: B

Fourth Drive

Start: own 42

Finish: Punt 

• After two runs (one end-around), Winston sacked by Carlos Dunlap, but negated due to a face-mask call, putting the Bucs in field goal range. (Next play: checkdown for 8 yards that was called back due to yet another flag.)
• On 1st-and-20, a pretty 22-yard strike for a first down up the seam. Clean pocket and a fantastic shot to an open receiver from Winston to get in the redzone.
• On the next drop back, a stumble that turned into a sack resulting in Winston getting slammed to the turf and a bit banged up.
• After a quick pass for about three yards, Winston appeared shaken up — right ankle after the hit on the previous play. The 3rd-and-22 turned into a very quick throw away after Cincinnati blitzes and closes in. Got hit hard again and struggled to run off the field with a clear concern on the right ankle.

Recap and Grade: Winston showed a beautiful pass up the seam on the long first down play, a huge plus. What’s concerning here is the ankle injury. While we’ll give him a grade of A, the focus has to shift to the obviously important matter.

Overall Grade

A solid A grade overall for Winston. A very good night on the field with an unfortunate result. Now, Tampa Bay waits.