CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Ryan Fitzpatrick played well enough Sunday to remain the starting quarterback in Tampa Bay for another week.
Fitzpatrick replaced the struggling Jameis Winston and threw for 243 yards and four touchdowns, but it wasn’t nearly enough for the Buccaneers to overcome a 28-point first-half deficit in a 42-28 loss to the Carolina Panthers. Fitzpatrick threw two interceptions, one in the first quarter to Eric Reid that led to Carolina’s first touchdown.
“Ryan did some good things today,” said Coach Dirk Koetter, who confirmed Fitzpatrick will start Sunday against Washington. “We’ve got to play better across the board.”
That includes on defense, where the Bucs have gone five games this season without forcing a turnover. They haven’t had an interception since Week 3.
“If you’re not getting any help, you better not be turning it over on offense,” Koetter said.
BILL BROWN, the Minnesota Vikings fullback who was a four-time Pro Bowl pick in 14 seasons in the NFL, died at age 80.
The Vikings announced the death before a moment of silence for Brown prior to their game against Detroit. Brown’s son-in-law, former Vikings quarterback Rich Gannon, said on Twitter that Brown “passed away peacefully.” Tweeted Gannon: “He was an incredible man who was so good to me and everyone he ever met!”
SEAHAWKS: Seattle took some choreographed steps toward having the best touchdown celebrations in the NFL.
After Russell Wilson threw a 10-yard scoring pass to Jaron Brown midway through the first quarter against the Los Angeles Chargers, Brown lined up behind three teammates in the end zone. Two of them slid to the left and two to the right, parting the way for Brown to finish with dance moves.
In last week’s victory at Detroit, the Seahawks acted out a baseball scene in the end zone.
TEXANS: Deshaun Watson threw two touchdown passes at Denver, giving him 36 career touchdown passes and putting him in company with two Hall of Famers.
Watson threw 19 passes in seven games as a rookie in 2017. Dan Marino and Kurt Warner are the only other players to throw at least 35 touchdown passes over the first 16 games of their career.
CHARGERS: Philip Rivers joined Brett Favre, Eli Manning and Peyton Manning as the only quarterbacks to start at least 200 straight games.
Favre started an NFL-record 297 straight times in the regular season.
STEVE SMITH, a former receiver, acknowledged on the NFL Network he left his Carolina Panthers’ playbook, after he was released, for his new team, the Baltimore Ravens, to find in 2013.
“When I came in I had the playbook and said, ‘It will be on my desk and what you do with it is on you,’ ” Smith recalled .
Smith said the playbook was missing from his locker for a couple of days before it was returned and he took it home.
He said he thought the playbook might be helpful if he got into coaching after his playing career.
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