Picking it up
Defense’s four interceptions help the Texans scratch out a win over Winston, Bucs
TAMPA, Fla. — Jahleel Addae studied his opponent’s eyes and body language, and they told the Texans veteran safety the truth about the intentions of streaky Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in a critical moment.
Addae watched Winston staring in the direction of Dare Ogunbowale late in the fourth quarter, and he saw the running back give away that he was running a quick sideline route.
Armed with that information, Addae let his instincts take over and undercut a trademark risky Winston throw for the turnover.
This marked the strong-armed, dangerous quarterback’s fourth interception of the game. The turnover allowed the Texans to preserve a 23-20 victory that earned them an AFC South division title and an automatic playoff berth.
“I was in man-to-man with the running back,” said Addae, a Tampa native. “They came out in empty formation, and I read his shoulders. He started leaning toward the sidelines and I said, ‘Risk it or biscuit’ and went and got it. It means everything.
“I’m from this area, grew up a Bucs fan, spent many years watching those guys growing up. To come here and get an interception against my hometown team, that’s a blessing. I still can’t believe it. I’m still kind of in shock that it happened.”
Creating turnovers against Winston isn’t a surprise, though, it’s practically an eventuality. Winston leads the league with 4,908 yards and has 31 touchdown passes. He also leads the NFL with 28 interceptions, giving away the football like bad gifts at an ugly sweater party.
The erratic way Winston began the game foretold his gaffe at the conclusion. On the second play from scrimmage, Winston threw a careless pass to Justin Watson that Texans cornerback Bradley Roby intercepted and returned 27 yards for a touchdown.
“The first one, (Roby) just squatted on the route,” Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians said. “Just was running an out route, and the guy just squatted on it. The last one, the same thing. You just can’t have them. You can’t have that many.”
On the second drive of the game, Winston was intercepted by safety Justin Reid with the touchdown return nullified by an illegal blindside block call on rookie defensive end Charles Omenihu. That led to a field goal and a 10-0 lead in the first quarter.
Despite his frequent miscues, Winston was undeterred. He just kept firing spirals, whether they wound up in the hands of his teammates or the Texans, and mounted a comeback. Winston completed 25 of 48 passes for 335 yards and one touchdown for a 46.8 passer rating.
“He’s a gunslinger,” Reid said. “He’ll throw a pick, and on the very next play, he’ll throw a fade. It doesn’t bother him. He’s going to throw the ball down the field on the next play. That’s why he has so many passing yards.”
Winston also was intercepted by veteran corner Johnathan Joseph. Because of how careless Winston was with the football, it allowed the Texans to escape with a pivotal win.
A former top overall pick from Florida State, Winston has outstanding arm strength
“He is a great player,” Texans coach Bill O’Brien said. “We didn’t really take advantage of the interceptions that he threw. We have to do a better job of playing complementary football because if you let a guy like that hang around, he is a dangerous player, and he has proven that time and time again.”
It wasn’t an easy win because Winston made the game extremely competitive with his arm talent despite playing without injured top receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. He hit Breshad Perriman seven times for 102 yards. If tight ends O.J. Howard and Cameron Brate had better hands, Winston
might have been able to pull off the comeback.
“He’s tough because he never stops,” said Texans corner Vernon Hargreaves, a former Winston teammate. “He doesn’t stop no matter what. It doesn’t matter. He’s still going to come at you with everything he has, and that’s what I admire about him.
“No matter what you say about him, no matter what you do to him, he’s still going to come back and he’s going to play hard. We got some off him, which helped us win the game, and we had to fight to the wire.”