Entering the National Football League (NFL) as the 2015 number one pick, expectations were high for quarterback Jameis Winston; but so far he has not met them and again struggled in their loss to the Carolina Panthers, having four interceptions.
After getting drafted by the Buccaneers, Winston was expected to be the hope of the franchise that have failed to reach the playoffs since 2007.
Winston struggled during camp but according to reports, it was understandable for a rookie who already has the team on his back.
Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, the struggles for the 21-year-old quarterback continued this regular season which saw the team win only once so far in four games played.
This season, Winston completed 73 of 33 passes for 965 yards with six touchdowns and a horrible seven interceptions, four of which were thrown in their defeat to the Panthers.
Andrew Astleford of ESPN called Winston's four-interception performance a "step back" for him since the rookie has shown flashes of great decision-making in the first two weeks of the 2015 season.
In Astleford's report, it was mentioned that those interceptions were crucial as the Panthers scored 27 points off them to help seal the win with the score 37–23.
The Bucs slipped to 1–3 after the defeat, which was also their second consecutive after winning their only game this season against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2.
Week 1 was not that good for Winston and the Buccaneers either, as 2015 number 2 pick quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Tennessee Titans outperformed them.
But Bleacher Report cited in their report that Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning had 28 interceptions during his rookie season, and now, he is a future Hall of Famer.
The report said that Winston is averaging one interception per 19 pass attempts so far in four games, very close to Manning who averaged an interception per 20.5 pass attempts in his rookie year.
That means Winston can still turn things around and be a legit passing and offensive threat for the Buccaneers; perhaps not now, but in the near future since it will take time.
