After another strong performance by backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick last Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles,  the coaching staff of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has an important decision to make: who will start at quarterback in Week 4?

    Jameis Winston is set to return from his three game suspension after the game on Monday against Pittsburgh. He is clearly the Bucs’ future, but Fitzpatrick is playing like an MVP quarterback.  Winston was drafted first overall in 2015 by the Bucs and has looked promising. Winston is only 24 years old, and has set many franchise records for Tampa Bay, but however he hasn’t pushed the team to be consistently in playoff contention.

   Through the first two games, Fitzpatrick has thrown for 819 yards and 8 touchdowns with a passer rating of 151.5. He has put the team on his back and led the Bucs to its first 2-0 start since 2010.  At the age of 35, Fitzpatrick is entering his 13th season with the NFL and is playing for his 7th team.

   If I were the Bucs, I would keep Fitzpatrick in play until he comes back to Earth. A 35-year-old having a MVP start doesn’t just happen all the time. He is on fire, so when the fire gets hit by water I would then recommend starting Winston. Since the game is on Monday, the Bucs will be on a short week meaning Winston would have barely any time to regroup with his team.

   This can be a learning lesson for Winston. When he comes back to play, he will know what this offense is capable of and realize the sky- or at least the playoffs- is the limit. Winston can also learn how to fix his key mistake of forcing a ball to make a play that won’t happen. Whenever the team does decides to play him, Fitzpatrick will be a good mentor as a backup to Winston and will guide him to success.

   As of now, the Bucs have no plans of releasing Winston anytime soon, but Fitzpatrick is the now and Winston is the future. The Bucs would be foolish to take out someone who is playing flawless.

    With Week 3 approaching and the Bucs hosting the surprisingly winless Pittsburgh Steelers, fans are eagerly waiting what is to come. The Steelers are coming off a tough loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and are a very good team offensively lead by Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown. This team is expected to come strong with all they’ve got to get their season back together. Let’s see how Fitzpatrick and the Bucs perform this week.