During the Buccaneers' Week 12 game against the Indianapolis Colts, rookie QB Jameis Winston made his first mark on the franchise record books when he topped 2,650 passing yards, setting the Buccaneers' rookie record. This week, he put his name atop another coveted rookie category, throwing two touchdowns to put him at 20 on the season.
On Thursday Night, Winston led a furious fourth-quarter comeback attempt. He connected with Luke Stocker on a three-yard TD pass, capping a four-play, 98-yard drive before hitting Austin Seferian-Jenkins from nine yards out to make it a one-score game. That second touchdown was his 20th of the year, passing Mike Glennon who set the mark in 2013 with 19 passing touchdowns.
Winston topped 300 passing yards for the first time in his young career in this game, completing 29 of 50 passes, both of which were also season-high marks. His 363 passing yards was the second highest single-game total by a rookie quarterback in Bucs history behind a 369-yard game by Vinny Testaverde in 1987. Winston threw 238 of those yards in the fourth quarter, the most in any quarter in franchise history and the most by an NFL quarterback in a fourth quarter since 2012.
In addition to his Buccaneers rookie and team records last night, Winston inched closer to some all-time NFL rookie quarterback marks.
MOST PASSING YARDS BY A ROOKIE QB - (Since 1970)
Rank Player (Team, Year) Yards
1. Andrew Luck (IND, 20112) 4,374
2. Cam Newton (CAR, 2011) 4,051
3. Peyton Manning (IND, 1998) 3.739
4. Sam Bradford (STL, 2010) 3,512
5. Matt Ryan (ATL, 2008) 3,440
6. Jameis Winston (TB, 2015) 3,422
7. Andy Dalton (CIN, 2011) 3,398
8. Brandon Weeden (CLE, 2012) 3,385
9. Ryan Tannehill (MIA, 2012) 3,294
10. Derek Carr (OAK, 2014) 3,270
Now sitting at 3,422 passing yards, Winston is sixth on the list of most passing yards by a rookie quarterback since 1970. At 244 per game, Winston is on pace to end the season with 3,911 passing yards, putting him in third place on the list. That number would also be the second most single-season passing yards in Buccaneers history behind Josh Freeman's 4,065-yard 2012 season.
MOST TOUCHDOWN PASSES BY A ROOKIE QB - (Since 1970)
Rank Player No.
1. Peyton Manning (IND, 1998) 26
1. Russell Wilson (SEA, 2012) 26
3. Andrew Luck (IND, 2012) 23
4. Cam Newton (CAR, 2011) 21
4. Derek Carr (OAK, 2014) 21
6. Jameis Winston (TB, 2015) 20
6. Andy Dalton (CIN, 2011) 20
6. Robert Griffin III (WAS, 2012) 20
6. Dan Marino (MIA, 1983) 20
10. Mike Glennon (TB, 2013) 19
10. Marcus Mariota (TEN, 2015) 19
10. Jim Plunkett (NE, 1971) 19
Winston also holds a spot for the most passing touchdowns by a rookie, tied for sixth with Andy Dalton, Robert Griffin III and Hall of Famer Dan Marino. He needs three more to tie Andrew Luck for the third most since 1970.
Winston's 20 touchdowns have him tied for seventh in single-season passing TDs in Bucs history. Reaching 23 passing scores would put him in fourth place on that list.
