TAMPA, Fla. -- Jameis Winston learned in Week 5 that the easy choice from the pocket can be the most effective one.
"Make the simple decision," the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback said. "I'm not the only person on this team that's getting paid. We have a lot of great players."
That awareness played a part in Winston's controlled effort during a victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he completed 13 of 19 passes for 209 yards with one touchdown. His 122.5 passer rating was a season-high total, and it marked just his second game without an interception.
Bucs offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter saw the benefits of Winston's disciplined play. Koetter said the Bucs were able to execute their game plan, which featured an effective rushing attack, because Winston avoided the mistakes that plagued him in the first half against the Carolina Panthers the previous Sunday.
"We didn't turn it over three times in the first half, so you can actually carry out a game plan," Koetter said. "Our game plans will be unique based on the defense that we play that week. It's not always going to be like that [with a reliance on the running game], but there's no secret that's the way Coach [Lovie] Smith would like to see -- that's his vision for how we should play, and that might be how we're best built right now."
Through Week 5, the Bucs were 11th in the NFL in rushing offense with an average of 122.4 yards per game. Running back Doug Martin was tied for second in the league with 405 yards rushing. Charles Sims has 135 yards rushing, including a season-high 51 against Jacksonville.
"Doug and Chuck [Sims], they showed us how dynamic our team can be when we establish a running game and we have a balanced attack on offense," Winston said.
Achieving that balance is possible when Winston makes smart choices.
"He had a 123 quarterback rating," Koetter said. "You never turn it over, [and] you have a 123 quarterback rating, you're going to win a lot of games, that's the main thing. He checked the ball down a few times -- progress, definitely."