The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season looked like it was in big trouble when quarterback Jameis Winston went down with a shoulder injury against the Arizona Cardinals. But, while Winston didn’t return after getting pulled, he was already throwing on the sidelines and may not even miss a start due to his injury.
Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported that Winston’s injury was diagnosed as an AC joint sprain in his right throwing shoulder. He likely won’t throw until later in the week, if at all, but there’s still a chance he suits up for Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills.
#Bucs coach Dirk Koetter confirms it’s a sprained AC joint for QB Jameis Winston. Day-to-day — good news. He won’t throw during the week.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 16, 2017
Jameis Winston’s backup, Ryan Fitzpatrick, was able to rally the Bucs back from a sizable first-half deficit to make it a close in the fourth quarter. However, the veteran showed the good and the bad sides of his game with three touchdowns and two picks.
Winston is hardly immune from those sorts of performances, but when healthy, he clearly still gives the Bucs the best chance of victory against the surprising 3-2 Bills. Just how healthy he’ll be for that matchup still remains to be seen, though.
If Jameis Winston does miss the start against Buffalo, it’ll be the first he’ll miss in nearly two and a half seasons as Tampa Bay's quarterback.