TAMPA Womens Deone Bucannon Jersey , Fla. (AP) ¡ª Jameis Winston is determined to make the most of his latest opportunity to prove he's Tampa Bay's long-term solution at quarterback.The fourth-year pro sparkled in his first start in a month, throwing for 312 yards and two touchdowns in the Buccaneers¡® 27-9 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday."Jameis played quarterback the way you need to play it in the NFL until you get into desperation time, which we never did today," coach Dirk Koetter said after the Bucs (4-7) snapped a four-game losing streak. "Jameis wasn't perfect, but he played a good game. I'm proud of him. It's been a difficult road," Koetter added. "He sees what that looks like. He needs to consistently play like that and he can be one of the best."Winston, benched last month after turning the ball over 11 times in 14 quarters, completed 29 of 38 passes without an interception.The No. 1 overall pick from the 2015 draft has shared the starting job with Ryan Fitzpatrick this season. Each has played well enough at times that Tampa Bay leads the NFL in passing yards and total offense,, however a porous defense and the league's worst giveaway/takeaway ratio has undermined the team's chances for success.Winston led TD drives of 73, 75 and 85 yards. His 6-yard scoring pass to Cameron Brate put the Bucs up early, and later teamed with Adam Humphries on a 28-yard TD on a play the quarterback extended by scrambling to his right before throwing back toward the center of the field.It was the same type of play that often comes back to haunt Winston, who's been criticized throughout his career for poor decision-making."He was wide open. It was a decisive decision," Winston said. "When you're decisive with the ball, it's no thinking about it. You trust your instincts and make the throw."Tampa Bay (4-7), meanwhile, had four sacks and forced turnovers on defense for the first time in eight games, with Ryan Smith and Isaiah Johnson coming up with the team's first interceptions since a loss to Pittsburgh on Sept. 24. Midseason acquisition Cairo Santos also made two field goals and three extra points."We made all our kicks. We got two takeaways. We didn't turn it over. Life is good," Koetter said.Matt Breida rushed for 106 yards for the 49ers (2-9). Nick Mullens threw a 13-yard TD pass to Dante Pettis in the second quarter, but couldn't get the ball in the end zone after halftime and finished 18 of 32 for 221 yards and two interceptions.Looking to cut into a 13-6 deficit, the 49ers settled for a field goal after driving inside the Bucs 1 early in the third quarter.It was all Tampa Bay after that."It's frustrating. We definitely had our chances and didn't take advantage of them," Mullens said. "That starts with me."San Francisco played without linebacker Reuben Foster, whom the 49ers plan to release after the second-year pro was arrested at the team hotel in Tampa and charged with one count of domestic violence.Foster was jailed late Saturday night and released on $2,000 bond Sunday. The 2017 first-round draft pick out of Alabama will be placed on waivers officially on Monday."We just tried to make sure it wasn't a distraction," Mullens said. "That's how we approached it. I don't think it was."Coach Kyle Shanahan said the decision to cut Foster was immediate."Too many things have happened. We tried to help," Shanahan said, adding that Foster likely wouldn't have played anyway because of a hamstring injury."I care about Reuben, but nobody is bigger than the team. ¡­ Our No. 1 rule is you got to protect the team, and he has put us in a bad light too much. Hopefully this will fix him and he can be successful somewhere else," Shanahan added.Winston, who sat out the first three games of the season while serving a suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy Ronde Barber Jersey White , made his first start in a month. He was benched after throwing four interceptions in a loss at Cincinnati on Oct. 28, however Fitzpatrick was not much better protecting the ball in subsequent losses to Carolina, Washington and the New York Giants."I don't have anything to prove to anyone. What we have to do is win," Winston said. "The easiest way to win is to keep everything simple and not beat yourself."MOVING FORWARDMullens has not played well since his dazzling debut ¡ª 16 of 22 passing, 262 yards, three TDs, no interceptions ¡ª in a 34-3 victory over the Raiders. He threw two picks in a 27-23 loss to the Giants the following week. Sunday was his first road start."I didn't think he played very well ¡­ but no one played very well in the passing game," Shanahan said, adding he wasn't sure if Mullens or C.J. Beathard will start next week against Seattle.INJURIES49ers: Played without injured WRs Pierre Garcon and Marquise Goodwin and RB Alfred Morris. ¡­ S Jimmie Ward left the game in the first quarter with a broken forearm. ¡­ S D.J. Reed (heel) left the game in the second half.Buccaneers: LB Lavonte David (knee) and S Justin Evans (toe) remained sidelined for the second straight week. ¡­ T Demar Dotson limped off with a knee/hamstring problem late in the first half and did not return. ¡­ CB Carlton Davis II (knee) was shaken up in the third quarter and sat out the remainder of the game. ¡­ DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee) left briefly before returning in the fourth quarter.UP NEXT49ers: at Seattle, next SundayBuccaneers: Home vs. Carolina, next SundayBucs Still Can¡¯t Overcome Winston¡¯s Debacle Your actions have consequences, whether you intend for it to happen or not.Jameis Winston and the Bucs figured that out during the summer and they are still learning as the season wears on. Tampa Bay has started 2-0 for the first time since 2010. They defeated a popular Super Bowl pick in the Saints in Week 1 and they just beat the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles on Sunday. The offense is on track to finish not only as the greatest offense in franchise history, but one of the top offenses in NFL history. Ryan Fitzpatrick leads the league in passer rating with an astounding 151.5 rating. He¡¯s completed over 70% of his passes and has thrown eight touchdowns to one interception.Yet all people are talking about is what happens when Winston returns. It¡¯s interesting to think about considering where the Bucs were just a month ago and where they are now. Writers were already declaring victory for the side that chose Mariota over Winston in the NFL Draft and there were 1-15 season predictions based off of Winston¡¯s suspension coinciding with the hardest opening three-game stretch in NFL history. But now they¡¯re winning - and doing so in very impressive fashion. Yet the main topic is Fitzpatrick vs. Winston/Winston vs. Fitzpatrick in both media headlines and bar conversations.Instead of the ¡°who should start¡± debate, it should be a ¡°are the Bucs legit contenders¡± or a ¡°how long can the Bucs keep their offense rolling¡± or even a ¡°what do the Bucs need to do to become a complete team¡± debate.The Bucs are playing out of their mind, but there is still one topic dominating discussionsPhoto by Mike Ehrmann/Getty ImagesThe Bucs are undefeated on the field, but in the public eye, they are still losing. It¡¯s expected that Winston will be back under center when the Bucs travel to Atlanta. If Fitzpatrick continues to play like he has then it¡¯s easy to foresee the uproar that will come along with his ¡°benching¡± once Winston is officially named the starter.And once again, negativity will surround Tampa Bay. Fair or not, it¡¯s deserved. When the face of your franchise (who has a checkered past) makes a mistake in a similar fashion to what they were once - and still - demonized for, everyone pays the price.A leader is supposed to be a reflection of those they lead. They are supposed to be the stabilizing force that holds everything together, but right now in the case of Winston - it¡¯s the opposite.No matter what happens this season, Winston¡¯s shadow will loom over the franchise and there is nothing that can prevent that from happening. The best case scenario is to keep winning and hope that continues to happen once Winston is re-inserted into the lineup. If the Bucs falter in any way with him at the helm, then the franchise better be well prepared for the backlash that will soon follow. Distractions are nothing new for NFL teams, they deal with them all the time. Right now, the Bucs appear to be handling this in the best possible manner. Honest, open, and direct communication with Winston while putting this team in the position to succeed have kept the Bucs from falling victim to the preseason prognostications and potential locker room dysfunction. For 2018, the Bucs need to continue to ignore the outside noise and keep doing what they¡¯re doing - and that¡¯s win.Maybe it will be enough to silence the critics, but only time will tell. And in scenarios such as this, time is all you have on your side.