Winston entered Sunday's 38-35 loss to the Giants in the third quarter and completed 12 of 16 passes for 199 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed five times for 16 yards and fumbled once, but it was recovered by Mike Evans for a touchdown. Despite Winston's heroics, Roy Cummings of FloridaFootballInsiders.com reports that head coach Dirk Koetter was noncommital about Winston being his Week 12 starter versus the 49ers in his postgame press conference
Ryan Fitzpatrick earned himself a benching with a three-interception performance over two-plus quarters, so Winston was called into action for the first time since Week 8 against the Bengals. He proceeded to nearly pull off a rather improbable comeback, leading the Bucs to 28 second-half points on four drives of 66 yards or more. Winston nearly committed a back-breaking mistake when he lost the handle on the ball on the way into the end zone late in the third quarter, but Evans alertly fell on it for a TD. Winston also connected with Evans for a 41-yard touchdown pass with 2:22 remaining that brought Tampa within three points, but he ended up throwing an interception on a desperation heave to DeSean Jackson with 23 seconds remaining to seal the win for the Giants. Given Koetter's lack of commitment to him beyond Sunday's game, the Bucs' starting QB situation is one for both Winston and Fitzpatrick owners to monitor throughout the coming week.