Winston tosses 5 TD passes, Buccaneers beat Eagles 45-17

  • Associated Press
  • Sunday, November 22, 2015 3:35pm
  • SportsSports

PHILADELPHIA — Jameis Winston made all the right plays against the team he grew up rooting for.

Winston tied a rookie record with five touchdown passes, Doug Martin ran for 235 yards and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Philadelphia Eagles 45-17 on Sunday.

“I ain’t going to cry, but this is a dream come true for me,” Winston said. “I always wanted to play here, ever since I was a little boy. I always wanted to be an Eagle. I was even singing the fight song on the sideline. It was a special day for me.”

Winston completed 19 of 29 passes for 246 yards and had four of his TD passes in the first half to four different receivers. He tied Matthew Stafford’s rookie mark in the third quarter on an 8-yard toss to Cameron Brate, the fifth receiver to catch a TD. Winston kept that drive going by smartly throwing an incomplete pass with his left hand on second-and-16 to avoid a sack.

“We are watching a young quarterback grow before our eyes,” Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans said.

Martin had 177 yards in the first half, including runs of 84 and 58 yards. He finished 2 yards short of tying Barry Sanders’ record for most without a TD. Sanders had 237 for the Lions against Tampa in 1994.

Tampa set a franchise record with 283 yards rushing and its 521 total yards were second-most in franchise history in the regular season.

The Buccaneers (5-5) have won two straight games for the first time in two years.

“We’ve talked a lot about being relevant again,” Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith said. “Well, we’re relevant again.”

The Eagles (4-6) have lost two in a row, but are only one game behind the New York Giants (5-5) in the mediocre NFC East.

Mark Sanchez threw a pair of TD passes and three interceptions in his first start replacing injured Sam Bradford, but Chip Kelly’s offense couldn’t keep up with Winston and the Buccaneers.

“We didn’t play well in any facet of the game and there’s no excuse for that,” said Kelly, whose team has a short week and plays Thanksgiving Day at Detroit.

Winston and the Buccaneers were outstanding on third downs, converting 9 of 12 while building a 35-14 lead. Winston’s last three TD passes came on third downs.

After an offside penalty on Brandon Graham gave Tampa another chance on third down in the first quarter, Martin broke free for 58 yards. Winston then tossed a 4-yard pass to Evans to tie it 7-7.

Winston threw a 17-yard screen pass to Charles Sims on third-and-6 to extend another drive, hit Evans for 25 yards and connected with Vincent Jackson over the middle for a 13-yard TD on the first play of the second quarter.

Martin later burst up the middle for 84 yards to the 1. On third down from the 4, Winston found Russell Shepard in the back of the end zone for a 21-7 lead.

The Eagles answered quickly as Sanchez hit Darren Sproles for a 35-yard TD on a screen pass. But the Buccaneers came right back. Martin ran for 3 yards on fourth-and-1 and Winston tossed a 14-yard pass to Sims for a 28-14 lead.

Winston’s pass to Brate made it 35-14. Lavonte David returned an interception 20 yards for a TD to cap the scoring.

The Eagles got a break after DeMarco Murray fumbled on the third play from scrimmage. Jacquies Smith recovered but was stripped by Zach Ertz and Philadelphia got the ball back at its 14.

That gave the Eagles more takeaways by their offense in the past two games than by their defense.

“A game like this will shake your confidence and that’s our biggest enemy because it can destroy you,” Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis said.

NOTES: Martin joins O.J. Simpson and Corey Dillon as the only RBs with two games with 235 yards rushing. Martin had 251 vs. Oakland in his rookie season. … Martin’s 84-yard run was longest in franchise history. … Eagles TE Zach Ertz suffered a concussion. … Buccaneers were missing G Ali Marpet and TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins. … Eagles also didn’t have RB Ryan Mathews. … Winston was first QB to throw four TDs in first half vs. Eagles since Eli Manning in Andy Reid’s last game as Philadelphia’s coach in 2012. … Sanchez has thrown an interception in six straight games.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Sports

X
Vote for The Herald’s Prep Athlete of the Week for March 8-17

The Athlete of the Week nominees for March 8-17. Voting closes at… Continue reading

X
Silvertips’ playoff picture coming together as season hits final week

Everett is officially the Western Conference’s No. 3 seed and is likely heading into a matchup with Kelowna or Vancouver.

X
Prep roundup for Monday, March 18

Prep roundup for Monday, March 18: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Los Angeles Rams offensive guard Tremayne Anchrum (72) against the Denver Broncos during the second half of an NFL preseason football game, Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)
Seahawks add to position of need, sign guard Tremayne Anchrum Jr.

The 25-year-old has played in 31 games, starting once, since being drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020.

Everett Community College head coach Chet Hovde watches as the women's team practices on Tuesday, March 7, 2017 in Everett, Wa. (Andy Bronson / The Herald)
EvCC coach Chet Hovde, who ‘lived for’ basketball, dies at 77

Coach Hovde graduated from Everett High School in 1965. He spent 33 years as the women’s basketball coach at the community college.

Jackson’s Ian Friedrichsen celebrates his goal with his teammates during the game against Bothell on Thursday, May 11, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep boys soccer: 5 things to watch for the 2024 season in Snohomish County

A look at the top local storylines for this high school boys soccer season

Jackson’s Rachel Sysum is hugged by Leneyah Mitchell after hitting a home run during the game against Bothell on Friday, May 19, 2023 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Prep softball: 5 things to watch for the 2024 season in Snohomish County

A look at the top local storylines to keep an eye on this high school softball season.

X
Prep roundup for Friday, March 15

Prep roundup for Friday, March 15: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

Glacier Peak’s Samantha Christensen runs to home plate to celebrate her home run with her teammates during the game against Snohomish on Friday, March 15, 2024 in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
GALLERY: Glacier Peak softball tops rival Snohomish

The Grizzlies prevail 9-5 in a clash of area powers.

X
Prep roundup for Thursday, March 14

Prep roundup for Thursday, March 14: (Note for coaches/scorekeepers: To report results… Continue reading

The Washington Wolfpack logo is revealed during the Everett AFL team unveiling at Tony V's Garage in Everett, Washington onThursday, Oct. 26, 2023. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
Everett’s new arena football team to have 4 televised games

The NFL Network will broadcast 30 AFL games this season, including two Wolfpack home games.

Washington coach Mike Hopkins yells to the team during the second half of the team's NCAA college basketball game against California, Saturday, Feb. 17, 2024, in Seattle. California won 82-80. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Looking back at Mike Hopkins’ turbulent tenure as UW men’s basketball coach

The departing Huskies coach had highs early, but the good times didn’t last long.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.