Eagles Know They Must Slow Down Jameis Winston

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Jameis Winston has made an instant impact in his rookie season, and the Eagles are well aware of his success.

As the Eagles get set to battle the Buccaneers on Sunday, they will look to find a way to slow down the rookie quarterback. Winston led his squad to a last-minute victory over Dallas last week, and his Buccaneers will come to town with the same record as the Eagles at 4-5. Chip Kelly has been impressed with what he's seen of Winston, and says he is a different quarterback than the one he watched earlier in the season.

"I think he has gotten better as the season has progressed," said Kelly. "You have seen from game one to where he is now, there is a maturation process that's going on with him. I think he's making better decisions with the football. I think most of his interceptions occurred early. They haven't really occurred late. I think he's being smarter throwing the football."

Winston has thrown for 2,159 yards in his rookie season. He has tossed ten touchdown passes, but has also been intercepted nine times. However, seven of the nine interceptions came within the first five games of the season. Eagles Linebacker DeMeco Ryans sees similarities in Winston to Pittsburgh Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"He's kind of hard to get down," Ryans said. "You see guys coming up trying to make the tackle on him, but he does a good job of eluding defenders. He can run it when he has to, but he reminds me of Roethlisberger a little bit."

Winston is hoping to continue with his upward trend this Sunday in South Philadelphia, as the Buccaneers look to climb back into the NFC Wild Card race. Winston believes the offense is starting to click, and knows he and his teammates have to find a way to finish off drives with touchdowns.

"The guys are working hard," said Winston. "A win is a win. The way we've been running the football and passing it, we've really balanced each other. We just got to finish drives."

Winston has had much of his success with his arm, but can also beat teams with his running ability. With a body similar to Roethlisberger's, Winston isn't easy to bring down. Linebacker Brandon Graham says the Eagles defense will have to find a way to get Winston to the turf on Sunday.

"He's a big guy," Graham said. "What we see on film is that a lot of guys have been missing him. He stands tall down there. We've just got to make sure we get him down."

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