NEWSLETTER
The Buccaneers’ plan of attack seemed simple enough back when the NFL season began: Let Ryan Fitzpatrick navigate through a tough season-opening set of games against the Saints, Eagles, and Steelers before handing the baton to Jameis Winston, otherwise serving a three-game suspension, for a Week 4 showdown against the Bears.
But now? Well, things aren’t quite as clear.
In case you missed it, Fitzpatrick has become the first quarterback in league history to throw for more than 400 yards in three consecutive games. That is not only the best stretch of his career, it’s better than any three-game run Winston has ever put together. So … now what?
Well, on Sunday, Jay Glazer of FOX Sports reported that the Bucs planned on sticking with Fitzpatrick for their Week 4 match-up against the Bears, but it sounds like that hasn’t been decided just yet: “I mean, I’d love to get a chance to talk to Jameis face to face before I tell the rest of the world,” Buccaneers Head Coach Koetter told the media after Monday’s loss, via JoeBucsFan.com. With that said, it sure looks like Chicago’s top-flight defense will be squaring off against the league’s leading passer, Fitzpatrick, this Sunday.
After all, Fitzpatrick has obviously played well enough (as an individual) to keep starting and he’s lead Tampa Bay to a winning record three weeks into the season (against some serious competition). Indeed, beating New Orleans and Philadelphia before falling to a three-point defeat on Monday Night Football against Pittsburgh is no small order. So in all likelihood, yeah, he’ll probably be slinging it come Sunday.
But the real question might not be whether or not he’s out there. Instead, it’s if he can keep up his pace against a defense that has (1) limited opposing passing offenses to the 11th fewest yards this season, (2) come away with the third most interceptions, and (3) kept opposing quarterbacks to a sub-90 passer rating through three games.
THAT will be the real test (Michael: … that he will fail, because Khalil Mack is a monster and the Bears defense is amazing, and we’re winning the Super Bowl this year and ever year for the next decade. Woo!).
