MINNEAPOLIS — Jameis Winston produced mixed results at best in his first NFL action for Tampa Bay, while Teddy Bridgewater had Minnesota’s passing attack in prime form to spark the Vikings in a 26-16 exhibition victory over the Buccaneers on Saturday night.
Winston, the first pick in the draft out of Florida State, played the whole first half and finished 9 for 19 for 131 yards. He had a pass intercepted by Antone Exum, mishandled two snaps that led to a total of 19 lost yards and threw several passes well off target.
The majority of Winston’s completions came in the second quarter when the Vikings had their backups in on defense. The brighter side for Winston and the Buccaneers included a 40-yard completion to Vincent Jackson with Vikings rookie cornerback Trae Waynes in coverage and an 8-yard touchdown run after the pocket collapsed around him on third down.
Bridgewater went 7 for 8 for 86 yards and backup Shaun Hill finished 8 for 9 for 104 yards and touchdown passes to Cordarrelle Patterson and Adam Thielen.
