Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Jameis Winston injury may derail Bucs

By Danny Jaillet | Nov 7, 2017

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 05: Jameis Winston (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

With Jameis Winston shelved for a few weeks due to injury, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their backs against the wall.

As if the 2017 season could not get any worse for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it just might have. Per a report from NFL.com, the team is shutting down starting quarterback Jameis Winston for the next few weeks due to his shoulder injury.

Winston has been having a decent year up to this point. Throwing for 1,920 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions, he is a key part of Tampa Bay’s attack through the air. His best game to this point in the season came back on Oct. 1 against the New York Giants. In that contest, he went 22-of-38 for 332 yards and three touchdowns. His 113.0 quarterback rating remains a season-high to this point.

Following the re-aggravation of his shoulder injury on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints, Ryan Fitzpatrick came into the game, finishing it out. The former Harvard product did well, going 8-for-15 for 68 yards and a touchdown. However, it was not enough as the Saints managed to roll to a 30-10 victory.

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What this means for Tampa Bay is a few things. For one, Winston may not be at 100 percent the rest of the season. If that is the case, that is a problem. Although Fitzpatrick is capable of leading a team (he did so with the Jets), Winston is your go-to guy. He is the Buccaneers’ franchise quarterback no matter what the situation. Receivers have built trust in him, rookies look to him for advice, and the team gravitates to him. When you do not have that on the field, that is a major loss.

Now, Fitzpatrick has to command that same respect from his teammates. It is not that they do not respect him, rather they are obviously not accustomed to him being the leader of this football team. Fitzpatrick will have the tough task of having to come in and prepare in the starting role like it is just another week. His time with the Jets will help that process, but it still will not be easy.

A major dropoff in production from an offensive standpoint probably will not happen, but there is a chance there will be a few bumps in the road leading to decreased production.

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Either way, this injury is huge. At 2-6, Tampa Bay has little room for error and unfortunately errors may be common in the coming weeks. This will be an interesting test for them in terms of how they respond to sudden change. As cliché as it sounds, this is when we will truly know what the Buccaneers are made. Head coach Dirk Koetter will have his hands full, but then again, he had his hands full when he took an the task of leading a rebuilding Buccaneers team.

With their backs against the wall, the Buccaneers take on the New York Jets on Sunday.

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