The New York Giants are suddenly in a bind, with second-year quarterback Jaxson Dart suffering a knee injury in their Week 2 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Dart is likely out for a chunk, if not the remainder, of the season, meaning the Giants are turning the keys over to the 32-year-old Jameis Winston. He’s in his second year with the franchise and started two games for them last season. Talk about a curveball early in the season!
From College Stardom to Buccaneer Boom-or-Bust
Winston’s journey to this moment is one for the history books, starting with an absolutely electric collegiate career. After redshirting his freshman year, he took the ACC by storm in 2013 with the Florida State Seminoles. The guy led the conference with 4,057 passing yards, an insane 40 passing touchdowns, and a 184.8 passer rating, all while completing 66.9% of his passes. He even tacked on 219 rushing yards and four scores on the ground, snagging the 2013 Heisman Trophy. And let’s not forget the big one: he led Florida State to a BCS Championship, throwing a go-ahead, game-winning touchdown to Kelvin Benjamin with just 13 seconds left against the Auburn Tigers. He followed that up in 2014, again leading the ACC with 3,907 passing yards and a 65.3% completion percentage as FSU went 13-1 and hit the College Football Playoff semifinals. In only two seasons, Winston finished tied for second in program history with 65 passing touchdowns and fourth outright with 7,964 passing yards. Unbelievable college stats.
Then came the pros. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers snagged him with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he was their primary signal-caller for the better part of five seasons. Over that span, he averaged 3,947.4 passing yards, 24.2 passing touchdowns, and 17.6 interceptions per year, with an 86.9 passer rating and 61.3% completion rate. Yeah, the Bucs went a combined 28-42 in games he started and never made the playoffs. He did earn a Pro Bowl trip in his 2015 rookie year, rushing for a career-high six touchdowns, but the team success just wasn’t there.
The Most Absurd Season You’ll Ever See
If you want to talk about “absurd,” look no further than Winston’s 2019 campaign. It was truly one of a kind. He led the entire NFL in two polar opposite categories: a league-high 5,109 passing yards AND a league-leading 30 interceptions. Can you even fathom that? He also threw 33 touchdowns, posted an 84.3 passer rating, and led the league with 626 passing attempts, completing 60.7% of his passes. Think about it: Winston became one of just nine players ever to throw for 5,000 yards in a single season, and in that *very same year*, he was the 11th quarterback to throw 30 picks in a single campaign. Those 5,109 passing yards and 33 passing touchdowns were even Buccaneers records at the time. To put a perfect bow on the chaos, the Bucs’ season ended with Winston throwing a pick-six on the first play of overtime in a Week 17 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons. You just can’t make this stuff up!
Now, the Giants need him to step up. With Dart sidelined, Winston’s experience,and his ability to put up *numbers*, for better or worse,is their big question mark. Can he steer the ship and lead them to something positive? That’s what the next few weeks will tell us.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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