Ryan Fitzpatrick Benched for Jameis Winston During Blowout vs. Bears

Jameis Winston replaced Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first drive of the second half against the Chicago Bears Sunday.

Fitzpatrick was given the start Sunday despite Winston returning from a three-game suspension to open the season.

While Fitzpatrick put up big numbers over the first three contests, he was just 9-of-18 for 126 yards with no touchdowns and one interception, which contributed to a 38-3 halftime lead for Chicago.

Winston went 5-of-6 for 29 yards on his first drive of the season, but he was intercepted by linebacker Danny Trevathan.

By starting Fitzpatrick, Bucs head coach Dirk Koetter was attempting to ride the hot hand.

Through three weeks, the 35-year-old veteran led Tampa to a 2-1 record and had three 400-yard passing performances.

Overall, Fitzpatrick entered Sunday's game with an NFL-leading 1,230 yards to go along with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions.

While Fitzpatrick is a journeyman of sorts, Winston was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2015 NFL draft.

The 24-year-old was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie, but he has struggled to reach the elite tier of NFL quarterbacks.

In 13 starts last season, Winston went 3-10, throwing for 3,504 yards, 19 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Since Tampa exercised its team option on Winston for the 2019 season, the next two campaigns will be key for the young signal-caller in terms of deciding whether he is the long-term starter for the Buccaneers.