If the defense improves under defensive coordinator Mike Smith this tall, Tampa Bay should be in the mix for a NFC Wild Card berth.
Advertisement
Winston is already tied for second place in Buccaneers franchise history for most four-touchdown passing games.
Winston delivered a dime to the tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, who made the excellent grab over Sean Weatherspoon.
He wasn’t about to get flustered when an early mix-up led to an interception.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to win an exciting Week 1 game over the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome, 31-24. Ryan Griffin completed 23 of 38 passes for 190 yards and one touchdown against an interception while Jameis Winston didn’t play.
“I was just in the moment”, Sims said.
The Falcons grabbed a 10-3 lead late in the first quarter after Winston’s pass for Vincent Jackson was picked off by Desmond Trufant, who returned it 13 yards to the Tampa Bay 9.
The Bucs scored 21 unanswered points on three touchdown passes from Jameis Winston.
The touchdown gave Tampa Bay a 17-13 lead they would not lose and momentum that carried into the second half.
Winston connected with Sefarion-Jenkins on a 30-yard touchdown, followed by a perfectly thrown 45-yard scoring pass to Evans over two defenders.
“We definitely have some things to clean up”, said Quinn, whose team committed three penalties that allowed the Bucs first downs. When we get the ball into that red zone, we have to come away with touchdowns. “We played as a team, helping each other, played a good game and got out of here”.
Koetter was splashed with a bucket of Gatorade and given the game ball by Winston.
“What a run by Charles”, said Bucs coach Dirk Koetter, the former Falcons offensive coordinator who received a game ball from Winston after winning in his debut. We got a bit of an answer past year: with a clear base, not almost as many rotations as we expected, and slightly more blitzes and man coverage than Lovie Smith.
A bounce back was hoped for this year, but instead the Bucs and Winston beat them for a third straight time in Koetter’s first game as a replacement for Lovie Smith. Tampa Bay has not qualified for the NFC Playoffs since the 2007 National Football League season.
Tampa Bay backup linebacker Jacquies Smith was carted to the locker room with a right knee injury and didn’t return.
But it just shows that even after the first game of the season, the pressure is on the Falcons to produce quickly; and like it or not, next week’s trip to Oakland has all of a sudden turned into a huge game, with the goal avoiding an 0-2 start.
Advertisement
On Tampa Bay’s ensuing possession, cornerback Robert Alford was also flagged for a personal foul after the Falcons had forced an incomplete pass on third down. And then we’ve got to score touchdowns. Grimes is another familiar face for the Falcons – he started his career in Atlanta – and the four-time Pro Bowler adds a veteran presence in the defensive backfield.
