TAMPA, Fla. _ Jameis Winston is on the verge of making history.
With two more interceptions in the Bucs' season finale against Atlanta, Winston would become the first quarterback in NFL history to throw 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.
A 30-30 club to which no one wants membership.
Only one player has come close. Packers quarterback Lynn Dickey threw 32 touchdowns and 29 interceptions for a 1983 Green Bay team that finished 8-8.
No quarterback has come as close this century as Winston, who has career highs with 31 touchdown passes and 28 interceptions. Until now, the closest was the Giants' Eli Manning (31 touchdowns and 25 interceptions in 2010) and the Bears' Jay Cutler (27 and 26 in 2009).
Only four quarterbacks have ever thrown 30 interceptions in a season, and just one since 1980. Vinny Testaverde threw 35 _ and just 13 touchdowns _ in his first full season with the Bucs in 1988.
Winston averages 1.8 interceptions a game, so if that number holds, he could reach 30. The Falcons have just 10 interceptions this season, tied for 20th in the league, but intercepted Winston twice in the teams' first meeting in Week 12.
How does a quarterback get to such an unprecedented mark?
In this case, there are many factors, among them a high-volume passing offense, a "keep slinging it" mentality passed on from coach to quarterback, as well as a dedication to seeing through a quarterback's struggles.
Bucs coach Bruce Arians has noted that his quarterbacks' touchdown and interception numbers typically spike during their first season in his offense. That was the case with Carson Palmer, who threw a career-high 24 interceptions in Arizona in 2013. Andrew Luck's career-high 18 interceptions came as a Colts rookie in 2012 with Arians.
Both had winning seasons in spite of those numbers. Palmer won 10 games in 2013, Luck won 11 as a rookie. After an interception rate of 3.8% in 2013, Palmer's rate was 2.2 over the next four seasons under Arians. The Cardinals came within one win of the Super Bowl in 2015.
The volume of passes Winston throws is rare. Winston is 92 yards shy of a 5,000-yard passing season, something accomplished 11 other times in league history. Winston is on pace for 391 completions and 642 pass attempts.
There have been 11 instances since the 1970 NFL-AFL merger when a quarterback threw at least 25 touchdowns and 25 interceptions, and only one has done it in more pass attempts and pass attempts. New England's Drew Bledsoe was 400 for 691 in a 25-touchdown, 27-interception season in 1994.
