Jameis Winston to be starting quarterback Buccaneers return: Dirk

Tampa Bay coach Dirk Koetter said Monday that Jameis Winston will be the starting quarterback when the Buccaneers return from their bye week for a Week 6 road game against the Atlanta Falcons.

Koetter announced his decision to go with Winston over Ryan Fitzpatrick in a news conference.

Both quarterbacks played in Sunday's 48-10 loss to the Chicago Bears. Fitzpatrick started and completed 9 of 18 passes for 126 yards with an interception. Winston was 16 of 20 for 145 yards with a touchdown and two picks.

Fitzpatrick started the first three games of the season while Winston served a suspension for violating the NFL's personal-conduct policy.

The 35-year-old journeyman created some "Fitzmagic" during that stretch, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for more than 400 yards in three straight games. Fitzpatrick led the Bucs to victories against New Orleans and Philadelphia before suffering a Week 3 loss to Pittsburgh.

Fitzpatrick maintained his sense of humour when told of the demotion. "I told my dad I was either going to be the MVP or on the bench," he said, per the Tampa Bay Times.

Winston, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 draft, started all 45 games he played in during his first three seasons with Tampa Bay. He made the Pro Bowl as a 2015 rookie and set career highs in passing yards (4,090) and touchdowns (28) in 2016.

(With inputs from agencies.)