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As the only team in the NFC South with three losses for the season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers need all the help they can get to stay in the thick of the division race. Their chances of making the playoffs appeared to be bleak at that for the Bucs, with starting quarterback Jameis Winston suffering a shoulder injury early in last Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Fortunately, as ESPN's Jenna Laine reported, Winston was named by head coach Dirk Koetter as the Bucs' starter in Week 7 against the Buffalo Bills, with the former first-overall pick expected to be a full participant in Friday's practice session.
“He's our starter. Jameis will be our starter. He'll be out there,” Koetter said about his star QB. “Jameis threw the ball well today. He threw it well.”
Winston himself also assured that the AC sprain on the shoulder of his throwing arm wasn't anything serious, claiming that he'd been through similar injuries before and knows how to deal with it. “I had a couple of AC joints that I had to play through, so I'm used to the pain,” Winston said. “Every one [of the injuries] is different. I can't tell you about my injuries eight years ago. I can just tell you about this one.”
The Bucs, who have no bye week on tap for the remainder of the season because of their postponed game from Week 1, must make sure their offensive leader is in good shape for the rest of the season.
Backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick played well in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals, throwing for 290 yards and three touchdowns. However, Fitzpatrick also threw two interceptions, showing that his erratic form in the pocket from his final couple of seasons with the Jets still lingers.
