Bruce Arians Refuses to Blame Jameis Winston for Interceptions
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers turned the ball over four times in Sunday's 27-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans, with two of them coming on Jameis Winston interceptions.
But while Winston is sure to bear the brunt of the blame, Bucs head coach Bruce Arians emphatically pointed the finger elsewhere following the team's third consecutive defeat.
Speaking at his postgame press conference, Arians made it clear that Tampa Bay's receiving corps was at fault on both occasions (via Pewter Report's Trevor Sikkema):
In Winston's previous game, a loss to the Carolina Panthers in London, Winston turned the ball over six times, leading to plenty of criticism throughout the bye week, and more questions about Winston's future as the team's franchise quarterback. Winston lost a fumble Sunday, as well, and was charged with another lost fumble due to an early snap from center Ryan Jensen that hit him in the face before he was ready.
Winston's turnover struggles have been well-documented, as has Arians' willingness to stick up for his quarterback. Since entering the league as the No. 1 overall pick in 2015, Winston has given the ball away more times than any other quarterback in the NFL, though Arians has maintained that previous seasons don't impact his opinion of Winston.
Whoever was responsible for Sunday's quartet of giveaways, the Bucs can't survive if they keep beating themselves and handing the ball to the other team.