TAMPA, Fla. _ He's the worst quarterback you've ever seen. He can play like one of the best.
He makes terrible throws. He makes great throws. He does it all in the same game.
The amusement park ride that is Jameis Winston was open for business Saturday against the Houston Texans.
Winston threw four interceptions, the last one to Jahleel Addae with 1:27 remaining in the game, as the Bucs lost to the Houston Texans, 23-20.
The defeat snapped a four-game winning streak for the Bucs, who fell to 7-8. The Texans clinched the AFC South title with the victory.
Winston, who has an NFL-worst 28 interceptions, finished 28 of 45 for 335 yards with one touchdown.
He was intercepted on his first pass attempt of the game for the fourth time this season. It was the sixth time Winston has thrown an interception on the Bucs' opening series, and this one was returned 27 yards for a touchdown by Bradley Roby.
On his next attempt, Winston was intercepted again. He had three in the first half, during which the Bucs also lost a fumble by Peyton Barber and had a field goal blocked.
But Winston managed to get the game tied at halftime and knotted again in the third quarter.
It wasn't enough. Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a 37-yard field goal with 7:11 remaining and the Bucs comeback fell short.
Tampa Bay had a chance, but after the Texans took a 23-20 lead, Cameron Brate dropped a fourth-down pass inside the Texans 40 that would've moved the chains with 3:38 to play. When the Bucs got the ball back with just over two minutes remaining at their own 10-yard line, Winston moved them for a first down before throwing his fourth interception of the game trying to connect with Dare Ogunbowale.
The big eraser for the Bucs was the defense, which forced two Texans turnovers in the first half.
Linebacker Lavonte David caused a fumble and rookie cornerback Jamel Dean made a leaping interception of a deep pass to Kenny Stills. It was Dean's second interception of the season. He had a big one after being inserted in the fourth quarter Nov. 10 to set up the winning touchdown in a 30-27 win over Arizona.
This time, Dean made a leaping interception and returned it 31 yards to the Texans' 39. That set up Winston's game-tying touchdown pass to Justin Watson as the first half ended.
Trailing by a field goal late in the third quarter, the Bucs converted four third-down situations and drove it 57 yards in 17 plays. But on fourth-and-1 from the 23, Arians elected to tie the game with a 41-yard field by Matt Gay rather than try to convert the first down.
Winston tied the game at the end of the first half at 17-17 with 8-yard TD pass to Justin Watson with 13 seconds remaining. But that doesn't happen without a 31-yard completion to Ismael Hyman. Before that, Winston set up Ronald Jones' 4-yard TD run with a 30-yard completion to tight end Codey McElroy.
Hymen got his first NFL catch last week, a 3-yarder for a critical first down. McElroy was activated from the Bucs' practice squad this week when Tanner Hudson did not make it back from concussion protocol.
When you enter the game missing Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Scotty Miller, you need some players to step up. They did in the first half.
