Jameis Winston Named Buccaneers’ Starting QB over Ryan Fitzpatrick vs. Falcons

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The Ryan Fitzpatrick era for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers seems to be over. 

The team’s head coach, Dirk Koetter, said Monday that Jameis Winston would assume starting duties in Week 6 against the Atlanta Falcons following the bye week, according to Scott Smith of the team’s website.

Koetter explained the decision to bring Winston back after the bye, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times: 

Fitzpatrick, 35, led Tampa Bay to a 2-0 record to start the season with Winston serving a three-game suspension, throwing for 819 yards, eight touchdowns and just one interception in those victories. His strong opening performance led many pundits to question whether Winston would be given the starting spot upon his return.

The cracks started to show in Week 3, however, as Fitzpatrick threw three interceptions in a loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He also threw for 411 yards and three touchdowns, however, enough to keep him locked in as the starter for Week 4.

But he struggled mightily against the Chicago Bears, completing just 9 of 18 passes while throwing an interception and taking two sacks. The Bears bullied their way to a 38-3 halftime lead, and Fitzpatrick was benched in favor of Winston to start the second half.

Winston had his ups and downs in his return, finishing 16-of-20 for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while taking two sacks. 

“They made a nice play on that last interception, but [Winston stood] in there and protected [the football] and [got] back to playing against an NFL defense at NFL speed,” Koetter said after the game, per Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “We needed to see that. That was good for us.”

Fitzpatrick said Monday he understood the decision.

“I told my dad I was either going to be the MVP or on the bench,” he said, per Stroud.

Winston remains the team’s franchise quarterback, a point Fitzpatrick seems to understand. But for Winston—who struggled on the field last year and has had issues off of it—the remainder of the 2018 season may be his last chance to prove he should remain the team’s franchise quarterback into the future.