Jameis Winston had a rough game in the Buccaneers' 31-17 loss to the 49ers Sunday, but coach Bruce Arians said the quarterback wasn't to blame for some of the problems.
Winston completed 20 of 36 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown, but he was intercepted three times, with two of them pick-sixes.
The No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, Winston has never lived up to those lofty expectations. That was supposed to change this year, with Arians taking over and installing a more vertical passing game.
But Winston's performance Sunday left fans grumbling. A day later, Arians said two of those picks were off "perfect" passes from Winston. He blamed wide receiver Mike Evans for one miscue, a third-quarter interception that Richard Sherman returned 31 yards for a touchdown.
"Mike missed his hot [route], Jameis executed the play perfectly, the other guys let him down," Arians said at a news conference Monday.
Tight end O.J. Howard also had a pass deflect off his hands that resulted in an interception.
“Two of (the interceptions) he had nothing to do with," Arians said. "(Winston) throws a perfect ball, we drop it, it goes up in the air they get an interception. Then the guy runs a route too deep and he threw it right where it’s supposed to be after the guy missed the hot, so guys have to play better around it.”
Arians did, however, point the finger at Winston for the final pick-six, which happened just before the two-minute warning in the game. Winston dropped back waiting for a screen pass to set up, but the 49ers sniffed it out. He threw the ball anyway, and Ahkello Witherspoon picked it off and took it in 25 yards for the game's final score.
“The one for the screen, that’s just got to be a throw away, but the other two were not on the quarterback, we dropped one right in our hands, so, we got to eliminate those types of plays if we’re going to beat anybody," Arians said.
The 25-year-old Winston is in the final year of his rookie contract, giving him extra incentive to produce this season.