


Underestimated and unheralded, Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Ryan Fitzpatrick, a Harvard economics graduate turned 14-year NFL veteran signal-caller, outsmarted the New Orleans Saints’ defense en route to a 48-40 upset win and career-high marks across the board. (Fitz)Magic is the rumored source of the wily veteran’s success in the Bayou, but the numbers tell a story free of any spells or tricks.

Starting in place of the suspended Jameis Winston, Fitzpatrick completed 21-of-28 passes for 417 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions in New Orleans on Sunday, including a career-high six big-time throws and zero turnover-worthy plays. To add perspective, Fitzpatrick managed just seven big-time throws all of last season on 163 pass attempts. Sunday’s exceptional performance earned a career-high 96.6 passing grade, the best mark among all quarterbacks in Week 1 and a spot on our Team of the Week.
The majority of Fitzpatrick’s success can be attributed to his efficient dismantlement of the Saints’ secondary from a clean pocket, as he completed 18-of-25 passes for 328 yards and three touchdowns across 28 clean dropbacks. He ranked first in passer rating (153.8) and seventh in adjusted…