Jameis Winston missed the first snaps of his nascent NFL career after suffering a knee injury late in the fourth quarter of Thursday night's 43-28 loss to the Falcons.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' second-year quarterback took a punishing hit from cornerback Jalen Collins on a two-point conversion attempt when Atlanta was up 20 points in the fourth quarter. Winston did not return to the game after the hit.
It appears, however, that Winston won't miss a snap next week.
"I feel great. I feel great," Winston told reporters after the game. Bucs coach Dirk Koetter also said Winston told him he was feeling fine.
Winston's left shoulder will also be plenty sore, as it took the brunt of the impact from Collins' hit. Winston was immediately ruled questionable to return, with backup Mike Glennon handling the final five minutes.
The face of the Bucs' franchise will have to learn to protect himself better. He took a similar crushing blow from Raiders linebacker Perry Riley at the goal line in Week 8.
Winston wasn't the lone Tampa Bay star to be forced out by injury. After turning in the NFL's catch of the year, wideout Mike Evans exited for a concussion evaluation late in the game and remained under evaluation after the game.
Evans had his way with Desmond Trufant in the first two quarters. Once the Pro Bowl cornerback left with a shoulder injury, Evans took turns terrorizing the rest of the Falcons' defensive backs, finishing with 150 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 receptions.
Winston appeared to be moving fine on the sidelines following the injury. He should be expected to resume starting duties versus the Bears in Week 10, though Evans might have to clear concussion protocol to get the green light.
