The “Fitzmagic” is not gone, nor should it be removed from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers lineup anytime soon. 

How quickly everyone forgets. 

One poor half was all it took for public opinion to turn on Ryan Fitzpatrick despite the fact that he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the first two weeks of the 2018 season.

Although, a near second-half comeback had everyone believing again.

Even in a 30-27 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday at Raymond James Stadium, the 35-year-old gunslinger solidified himself as the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback, despite Jameis Winston’s imminent return. 

“We’ll worry about that when the time comes,” Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter said last Monday, per the Tampa Bay Times‘ Martin Fennelly. 

The time has come, since Winston’s three-game suspension for violating the NFL‘s personal conduct policy ends Tuesday. Koetter can’t seriously entertain the idea of replacing Fitzpatrick after he became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 400 or more yards in three consecutive games. The 14-year veteran only needs one more 400-yard game to tie Dan Marino and Peyton Manning for the most such games in a season, according to NFL Research. 

“If Ryan Fitzpatrick, Ryan Griffin, whoever it is, is playing lights-out, I don’t think it’s fair right now just to say, ‘Yes, automatically, [Jameis] is going to be the guy,’” general manager Jason Licht said a week prior to the start of the regular season, per Sports Illustrated‘s Michael Shapiro. 

Will the Buccaneers adhere to this philosophy? They should. 

Even in a sloppily played and turnover-prone contest, Tampa Bay rallied around its veteran signal-caller and nearly had enough to erase a 20-point halftime gap. Fitzpatrick completed 19 of 29 second-half passes as the Bucs rattled off 17 unanswered points to come within three points of tying Pittsburgh. 

Fitzpatrick’s first-half performance wasn’t nearly as bad as portrayed, either. His three interceptions will be scrutinized—in a misplaced attempt to rationalize the argument that Winston should start upon his return—even though none fell squarely on the quarterback’s play. 

All three occurred on consecutive second-quarter drives. 

Pittsburgh linebacker Jon Bostic tipped the first, and Mike Hilton caught the deflection to stop the Buccaneers in the red zone, as seen below:  

A protection breakdown allowed a free runner at the quarterback. Right tackle Demar Dotson didn’t slide his protection to the outside threat. Instead, he locked onto T.J. Watt. Fitzpatrick tried to beat the blitz by throwing behind it, only to have his pass ricochet off Bostic’s helmet. 

The second mistake appeared to be a miscommunication between the quarterback and his target, Mike Evans: 

Evans slowed his route and attempted to sit in the soft spot of the Steelers’ zone coverage, whereas Fitzpatrick seemingly expected the 6’5″ receiver to keep running between the dropping linebacker and safety. 

The third interception was a backbreaker, as linebacker Bud Dupree returned the ball 10 yards for a touchdown:

Nose tackle Daniel McCullers provided pressure and placed his gigantic paw in the way of Fitzpatrick’s throwing motion, which caused the ball to sail despite an open underneath receiver.

So much is placed on the quarterback, even when he’s not the problem. 

For example, Fitzpatrick can’t be blamed for dropping a pair of potential touchdown passes, as Chris Godwin did. The second-year wide receiver lost a fumble as well. Godwin finished the contest with five receptions, 74 yards and a touchdown, but his mistakes left too many points on the field and directly led to seven Steelers points. 

Furthermore, 27 points and 455 yards of total offense should be more than enough to capture a victory. Instead, the Buccaneers fell to 2-1 overall because the defense surrendered 413 total yards and couldn’t get a key stop late in the game. 

After all, Fitzpatrick didn’t attempt to tackle tight end Vance McDonald only to be trucked and give up a 75-yard touchdown. Chris Conte suffered that embarrassment and left the game with an injured knee. 

The quarterback displayed his leadership skills during his postgame press conference. 

“Three interceptions on me. Can’t have them. Hard to win a game that way,” Fitzpatrick told reporters. “We obviously dug ourselves a pretty big hole there. The great thing to me coming out of this game is the belief in the huddle during the second half, and guys not wavering and not blinking and having the feeling the whole time we were going to come back and win the game.” 

Even if the Buccaneers, specifically Fitzpatrick, fell completely flat on their faces, his previous performances built enough goodwill to hold off the former starter. 

Prior to Monday, the Buccaneers quarterback led the league with 819 passing yards, 13.4 yards per attempt and a 151.5 passer rating. He’s still the league’s leading passer with 1,230 yards through three games, and the Buccaneers feature the NFL’s No. 1 offense. 

How good Winston looks or how much he’s prepared for another opportunity doesn’t matter—and he looks great, according to quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr.: 

The Buccaneers are Fitzpatrick’s team for now. 

“He’s playing on fire right now,” wide receiver DeSean Jackson said last week, per the Washington Times‘ Matthew Paras. “With the way the team is rallying behind him and just playing lights-out football, you have to kind of honor it. You can’t take the hot man out. You got the hot fire right now.” 

Nothing has changed. Fitzpatrick remains the hot hand despite some first-half slippage. Winston may be ready to play, but he must earn back his teammates’ trust after seeing what his backup-turned-starter accomplished.   

Koetter didn’t make an immediate decision about Tampa Bay’s Week 4 starting quarterback, even though the right move is obvious. 

“Let’s see what happens,” Koetter said, per the Tampa Bay Times‘ Rick Stroud. “I’d love to get a chance to talk to Jameis [Winston] face to face before I tell the rest of the world.”

The Chicago Bears defense won’t be as forgiving, but Fitzpatrick may have a little something up his sleeve. 

As British author J.B. Priestley once said, “I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.”

Brent Sobleski covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter: @brentsobleski.

It was only a matter of time before Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick stopped playing like an MVP and the Pittsburgh Steelers stopped playing like a last-place team, and both early-season trends ended Monday.  

Pittsburgh won Monday’s interconference clash at Raymond James Stadium, 30-27, and improved to 1-1-1, while Tampa Bay fell to 2-1.

Ben Roethlisberger (30-of-38 for 353 yards, three touchdowns and one interception) outplayed Fitzpatrick (30-of-50 for 411 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions), and a Steelers defense that allowed 42 points to the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2 bounced back by forcing four turnovers.

Big Ben, Steelers Offense Still Talented Enough to Overcome Drama

The Steelers have been defined by their off-field headlines instead of on-field ones this season.

Running back Le’Veon Bell is yet to sign his franchise tender and report to the team during a holdout after the two sides failed to come to terms on a contract extension in the offseason. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported Pittsburgh is entertaining trade offers for the dynamic playmaker.

As if that wasn’t enough, wide receiver Antonio Brown has been the center of controversy at times. 

Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports recapped the drama with No. 84, noting he was reportedly fined for missing practice last Monday and tweeted “trade me let’s find out” when former team publicist Ryan Scarpino suggested Roethlisberger was the reason Brown is so successful. 

Roethlisberger rose above the noise and seized control in the first half with touchdown passes to Brown, Ryan Switzer and Vance McDonald—who unleashed a vicious stiff arm. Big Ben also displayed his trademark escapability in the pocket, when he somehow evaded defenders and turned a potential sack into a positive gain for a monster first down in the final minutes after Tampa Bay pulled within three.

His touch, along with hard running from James Conner (15 carries for 61 yards) and 116 receiving yards from the dangerous JuJu Smith-Schuster, was enough to overcome the comeback attempt.

It was a reminder of how talented the six-time Pro Bowler and two-time Super Bowl champion can be. On Monday, he elevated the Steelers above the concerns and distractions.

FitzMagic Expiration Date Rapidly Approaching

Nobody outside of perhaps Patrick Mahomes II played better than Fitzpatrick in the season’s first two weeks.

He captured back-to-back NFC Offensive Player of the Week awards with a combined 819 passing yards and eight touchdowns and looked like more than a temporary replacement for the suspended Jameis Winston.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk noted Jay Glazer of Fox said Tampa Bay would stay with Fitzpatrick unless he does “something drastically bad.”

Throwing three interceptions in Monday’s first half, including one that Bud Dupree returned for a touchdown, would qualify as drastically bad. Pittsburgh parlayed Fitzpatrick’s mistakes into a commanding 30-10 halftime lead, and attention naturally turned to who will play Week 4 against the Chicago Bears.

To the veteran’s credit, he led the Buccaneers to within three in the second half after touchdown passes to Chris Goodwin and Mike Evans, and he racked up record yardage by throwing so much in comeback mode. But he threw three straight incompletions when he got the ball back with under four minutes remaining and a chance to win.

The long-term answer is Winston, who is just 24 years old and the franchise quarterback after the Buccaneers selected him with the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft. Fitzpatrick is a 35-year-old journeyman who has never been consistent enough to serve as the franchise cornerstone for any of the seven teams he’s played for, which was on full display against Pittsburgh.

Tampa Bay should give Fitzpatrick one more start before turning the reins back over to Winston, but only because of the schedule. It faces a Bears team that leads the league with 14 sacks on a short week but has a bye after Sunday’s game, which gives Winston more time to re-familiarize himself with the offense.

Roughing-The-Passer Controversy Takes Center Stage Again

The Steelers and Buccaneers made dubious history Monday and continued an early theme in the 2018 NFL season.

Gerald McCoy and Jason Pierre-Paul of Tampa Bay and Stephon Tuitt and Sean Davis of Pittsburgh were all flagged for roughing the passer in the first half. The ones on the Buccaneers were particularly notable because Roethlisberger did his best to sell one, while McCoy didn’t even fall on the quarterback in the other.

According to Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders, it marked the first time in 18 seasons both teams were penalized for roughing the passer multiple times in a game, and it happened before halftime.

Roughing the passer has been a significant talking point this year with officials penalizing defenders who land on signal-callers with all or most of their body weight. Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews has been victimized by questionable calls in back-to-back weeks, and even Aaron Rodgers—a quarterback who has benefitted from plenty of roughing calls—criticized the newfound focus.

The issue reached a tipping point Monday when Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase revealed defensive end William Hayes tore his ACL while trying to avoid putting his entire body weight on Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr during a sack, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Viewers will continue to complain about the penalties throughout the 2018 season, and Monday’s contest was no different.

What’s Next?

The Steelers will host the rival Baltimore Ravens in Week 4, while the Buccaneers will travel to Chicago to face the first-place Bears.

Minnesota Timberwolves head coach and president of basketball operations Tom Thibodeau met with All-Star Jimmy Butler on Monday, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported.

According to Wojnarowski, Thibodeau hoped to “convince [Butler] to eventually rejoin the team in the preseason.”

The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski reported earlier this month that Butler and Thibodeau had met in Los Angeles, at which point Butler made it clear he wanted a trade out of Minnesota.

According to an earlier report from Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves aren’t a united front internally when it comes to the next step after Butler’s request.

Team owner Glen Taylor is looking to trade Butler and let fellow owners and front-office executives know as much at the NBA’s board of governors meetings. Thibodeau, however, wants to retain Butler.

“If Thibodeau is destined to get fired at season’s end, those familiar with his thinking say he would rather do so reaching the playoffs for a second consecutive year with the benefit of Butler on the roster,” per Wojnarowski.

The fact that Thibodeau reportedly held a subsequent meeting with Butler would lend credence to the idea he wishes to maintain the status quo in 2018-19.

Butler didn’t attend the Timberwolves’ media day Monday, with Krawczynski reporting the team gave him permission to skip the event. In addition, Butler “will not be available for on-court activities early in training camp.”

The Timberwolves are undoubtedly in a tough position.

They tip off the regular season Oct. 17 on the road against the San Antonio Spurs, leaving Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden little time to work out a feasible trade before the year gets underway. And the longer Minnesota waits to trade Butler—if at all—the more his value diminishes. He can opt out of his contract next summer and become a free agent.

One thing seems clear, though: Butler remains unmoved and doesn’t foresee a long-term future in Minneapolis.

The Boston Red Sox made history with Monday’s 6-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

The Red Sox now have an MLB-best 106 wins, which is the most in franchise history over a single season.

The Boston Globe‘s Peter Abraham added some perspective on Boston’s achievement:

Boston dropped back-to-back games in extra innings to the Cleveland Indians before notching its record-setting win.

The Red Sox got a strong start from right-hander Nathan Eovaldi, who struck out 10 and allowed one run over five innings. The bulk of the offense came in the second inning, as Brock Holt and Christian Vazquez each brought home a run before Mookie Betts hit a two-run homer to left.

It’s the third straight appearance in which Betts has homered. The 25-year-old right fielder is trying to assert himself at the top of the American League Most Valuable Player race.

If history is any indicator, then Red Sox fans are in for an October to remember. Boston won two World Series (1912 and 1915) in its previous three 100-win seasons.

Winning 106 games is something to celebrate, but it also adds even more pressure on the players to deliver in the playoffs. Boston failed to advance past the American League Division Series in 2016 and 2017 after winning the AL East.

As much success as the 2018 Red Sox have enjoyed in the regular season, they’ll ultimately be judged on what they do in the postseason.

Minnesota Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen was reportedly named in a police report regarding an incident at a Minneapolis hotel in which a person allegedly “[threatened] to shoot someone in the middle of the day on Saturday.”

KSTP’s Ryan Raiche reported Monday that Minneapolis police redacted the person’s name in the report, but a source told Raiche that Griffen was the man in question.

An emergency dispatcher relayed to officers that a man had issued the threat unless hotel staff allowed him in his room.

Raiche also reported Griffen allegedly “threatened to assault staff members” before leaving the hotel. Officers didn’t make any arrests and didn’t find a gun after responding to the scene.

According to a report from Seth Kaplan of Fox 9, Griffen was then arrested for allegedly trying to break into a teammate’s home and is having a mental health evaluation.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman offered a statement on the allegations: “We are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard. We are currently focused on Everson’s well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family.”

Griffen didn’t play in the Vikings’ 27-6 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. In the team’s official injury report, Griffen was listed as out with knee injury.

Head coach Mike Zimmer declined to go into specifics about his availability after the Bills game.

“He’s having a personal matter and I’m going to leave it at that,” Zimmer said, per the Star Tribune‘s Andrew Krammer.

Ahead of Minnesota’s Week 4 matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, the Vikings said Griffen didn’t practice Monday, citing the knee injury but adding his absence was also “not injury related.”