Thursday, 3 a.m.
Even days later, the question lingered.
How in the world could Jameis Winston throw that pass? How, after all the other misguided passes to cornerbacks and safeties, could he drop that one into Chris Godwin? How could he turn a game around with a 71-yard needle to Godwin against the Falcons?
For the Bucs, it might have been the play of the season, a perfectly thrown ball between the linebacker and the safety, hitting Godwin in stride.
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“(The Falcons were playing) two high (safeties and we had) everyone going vertical," Winston explained Wednesday. "They play Tampa 2, so (the) Mike (linebacker) did really a good job of playing it. He has his back turned for a brief minute, so you want to give the ball, let Chris see it and Chris did the rest – caught it and took it to the house.”
Godwin was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Week for his play. He had seven catches for 184 yards.
“I think by the time I got to the middle of my route, I looked and we kind of locked eyes, so I had a feeling it was coming," Godwin said. "He threw a phenomenal ball and I was just trying to move my head around so I could see it. Somehow, he got it through there.”
Winston has seen great improvement from Godwin, who has 70 catches for 1,071 yards.
“I think the biggest difference is he’s playing more, he’s getting more exposure, playing inside (and) playing outside," Winston said. "(He’s) actually able to get into a rhythm (and) stay in a consistent rhythm. He rarely comes off the field. The more chances you can give him the ball, the more opportunities he has to shine.”
Godwin made a nice catch on his second touchdown catch.
“That throw was a little deterred because they did a good job of running a guy up underneath the flat to try to stop it, so I actually had thrown around him and Chris made a heck of a catch.”
This week, the duo plays at Jacksonville.
"(They have a) great front," Winston said."(I have) great admiration for Calais Campbell and what he’s done in this league, and for the man who he is. They have a tremendous young line. The young rookie [Josh Allen] that they’ve got is really good and 91 (Yannick Ngakoue) is really good. We have to be stout again in protection and move the ball.”
The Bucs-Jags game begins at 1 p.m. in Jacksonville.