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Thank God for Ryan Fitzpatrick. That must be what Jameis Winston is thinking after another forgettable performance Sunday, a performance that played no small part in the Buccaneers' third straight loss, this time a lopsided 27-7 beatdown at the hands of the Broncos.

Winston chucked two more interceptions in defeat, giving him eight for the season. As a rookie in 2015, Winston threw 15 total, against 22 touchdowns. (By comparison, Fitzpatrick has launched 10 picks in '16, including nine in his past eight quarters.)

The sophomore slump is real in Tampa Bay, Winston is struggling and first-year coach Dirk Koetter is concerned.

Exactly how concerned?

"Very," he said, via the Tampa Bay Times. "I'm very concerned."

If there's a bright spot, Koetter sounds like he thinks things could be worse.

"He's not regressing, but we've got to take care of the football," the coach continued. "I mean, we've got to take care of the football. We can't turn it over three times in a half. We just can't do that.''

No, no you can't. Here are Winston's two passes to Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib.


"The first one was just a bad throw,'' Winston said. "The second one was just a great play.''

Koetter's take: "Not every play is going to be a big play. We went through this very similar thing the first four games last season. And hopefully we'll learn the same lesson we learned last year and get on a little roll here.''

The good news is that Winston went four straight games without a turnover last season after beginning his rookie campaign with six picks in four games. The hope is that he can do it again. The Bucs face the Panthers and 49ers on the road before hosting the Raiders. Carolina and San Francisco have top-10 pass defenses, according to Football Outsiders' metrics, while Oakland ranks 28th.