Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston said it wasn’t the wind that led some of his passes to go seriously awry in Sunday’s 17-3 loss to the Panthers, which means there needs to be another explanation for a lackluster effort as the Bucs slipped to 2-5 on the year.
The easy answer would be the right shoulder injury Winston suffered two weeks ago. He didn’t play poorly against the Bills last weekend, but coach Dirk Koetter said Winston “kind of re-injured” his shoulder in that game and had another limited practice week as a result.
Koetter said he considered the wind to be a major factor in Winston’s 21-of-38 day, but also said he thought about pulling the quarterback after another hit to his shoulder.
“I think the wind was the main factor in the passing game,” Koetter said, via the Tampa Bay Times. “Jameis did take a shot early in the fourth quarter and he was hurting a little bit after that. I thought he might have to come out. But he stayed in. It was on the first play of the drive. He stayed in and we kept going and the game flow went and I haven’t talked to him since on that.”
If Winston’s shoulder isn’t allowing him to throw on important practice days, the question of whether he should be sitting down on Sunday to allow the injury to fully heal will persist. Koetter said Winston’s health is the top priority and they’ll make a “medical decision” to sit him down if it is necessary.