Jameis Winston hasn’t developed on the field and there’s little evidence he’s grown up off it.

When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected Winston first overall out of Florida State in 2015 he was considered a remarkable if flawed talent: a risk taker with a great arm, a PhD-level understanding of the game, and the strength to make plays with defenders draped all over his body.

His performance this Sunday in Cincinnati should be the final straw though. Winston completed just 18 of his 35 pass attempts, throwing one touchdown to four picks – matching his career high. Ryan Fitzpatrick replaced Winston late in the third quarter and instantly turbo-charged the Bucs’ flagging offense, tossing for 194 yards on 11 of 15 passing, with two touchdowns to zero interceptions.

If that doesn’t scream quarterback controversy, nothing does.

“I don’t have any problems making decisions, and I will make it when the time is right, head coach Dirk Koetter said postgame [editor’s note: the Bucs said on Monday that Fitzpatrick will be the starter for Week 9]. “Now is probably not the right time to make it.” It doesn’t seem that hard.

Winston entered Week 8 21st in quarterback DYAR, a measure of the quarterback’s overall value. In other words: he’s stunk, even with an abundance of weapons surrounding him. For what it’s worth, Ryan Fitzpatrick was eighth on the list, ahead of Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger. Winston was terrible on Sunday while Fitzpatrick was immense.

In mitigation, Winston’s offensive line and run-game have struggled ever since he rolled into town, but too many of Winston’s mistakes are of his own making: overshooting receivers downfield and forcing throws to spots he needn’t. His is a boom-or-bust game, lacking any efficiency. That doesn’t work in 2018, where explosive quarterbacks such as Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers are also among the most efficient in the sport. If Winston had shown something – anything – that suggested his game was evolving, it would be a different story. But he hasn’t, whether that’s because he’s unwilling or unable.

Add all this to the fact that Winston served a three-game suspension to open the season for allegedly groping a female Uber driver in March of 2016 (Winston was never charged over the incident but did apologise to the driver). Winston’s history with off-the-field concerns is well-documented, ranging from the theft of crab legs to the alleged sexual assault of another student while at Florida State (again, Winston was not charged over the allegations but did reach a settlement with the woman). It’s understandable to think those reasons alone should end his run in Tampa. Is the juice worth that toxic squeeze?

The Bucs picked up Winston’s fifth-year option last offseason but the $21m he’s owed is only guaranteed through injury. The Bucs could move on from him this offseason without owing Winston a cent although the more likely option is that the team will seek to trade him.

If the Bucs do move on, the 2019 draft class isn’t loaded with talent. The best-eligible quarterback in the country, Oregon’s Justin Herbert, is reported to be considering returning to school for an extra year. That gives Tampa some leverage in negations.

Moving on from the first overall pick is painful. It’s an admission of failure, from the top to the bottom of an organization but that shouldn’t stop the team moving on at the earliest possible opportunity (the trade deadline isn’t until Tuesday, guys). It’s a sunk cost at this point. Fitzpatrick gives them the best chance to win games in 2018, although he is far from a perfect player himself.

Winston will, of course, have suitors. An NFL coach will convince himself he can fix Winston, they always do. A franchise will give up more than we expect for him, be it via trade or in free-agent dollars, they always do. But Winston is who he is: a net-negative at quarterback with a troubling pattern of off-the-field behavior.

MVP of the week

Cam Newton brought his children along as assistants at Sunday’s post game press conference. Photograph: Jeremy Brevard/USA Today Sports

It’s gone a little under-the-radar but Cam Newton is back to apex-Cam form. Newton torched the Ravens defense on Sunday, completing 21 of his 29 passes for 219 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s even more impressive when you consider Baltimore’s defense entered the day third in the league in defensive DVOA, the best measure of defensive success.

Newton was efficient in the passing game, showing a rhythm and command of the offense that has been lacking since the team’s Super Bowl run in the 2015 season. And Newton, as always, did extra damage on the ground, rushing for 50 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

Through eight games, Newton has completed almost 66% of his passes while throwing for the lowest interception percentage of his career. He’s been efficient while maintaining the explosive elements of his game that helped make him a league MVP. And remember: he’s doing this with a beat-up offensive line.

Stat of the week

Nobody picked up a better value-for-money free agent this offseason than Washington. Adrian Peterson isn’t quite peak-AP, but he’s still really, really good. On Sunday Peterson became the oldest player (33) in the Super Bowl era to have 100+ yards rushing, as well as receiving and rushing touchdowns in a single game.

Peterson is humming in Washington’s offense. Jay Gruden has prioritized the run game this season more than any time during his tenure, and it’s paid off. Peterson has shown his ever-present vision and still has plenty of wiggle: he’s making guys miss for fun and running powerfully.

Video of the week

And now for your weekly dose of Kareem Hunt Is Excellent At Football:

Kareem Hunt looking like an Olympic hurdler as he gets the Chiefs into the end zone again!



(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/0mUfYHjOi8 — Pro Football Focus (@PFF) October 28, 2018

For those keeping score at home: that’s five defenders unable to bring down a lone runner. Hunt’s individual excellence on the ground, and in the passing game, is what pushes the Chiefs offense from brilliant to near-unstoppable.

Quote of the week

“Yeah, I’ve got big balls. They call me Big Balls Dickson” – Seahawks rookie punter Michael Dickson might already be the best at his craft in the league. He’s also unapologetically brash, a bold step for a punter.

Dickson decided to involve himself in the running game this week. Seattle called for an intentional safety: Dickson was supposed to run around the end zone, drain some time off the clock, gift the Lions two points, then hoof the ball out of harm’s way. But he did things his own way: the Aussie spotted a gap in the defense while he dawdled around in the backfield and darted for a first down, sealing the victory for the Seahawks.

Big Dickson Energy is a real thing.

Elsewhere around the league…

• There was a reminder that there are more important things than football before Sunday’s Steelers-Browns game. A moment of silence was held for the victims of the Pittsburgh synagogue this weekend, which claimed the lives of 11 people. “We’re thankful for a victory, but we also understand that there are bigger things,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said after the game. “There’s life. I’m glad that we could give people maybe three hours of a break of maybe not thinking about it all the time, and that’s what sports does sometimes is it helps you to kind of heal. But it’s over and people are going to celebrate and enjoy this, but reality still sets in for a lot of people.”

Steelers fans paid tribute to the victims of the Squirrel Hill attack before Sunday’s game. Photograph: Jeffrey Becker/USA Today Sports

• The Colts’ schedule for the rest of the season looks good, with none of the teams to come looking unbeatable. The Colts beat up the Raiders 42-28 on Sunday, showcasing an improved offensive line and run defense – two units that have struggled in recent times. Andrew Luck is back to his best too, and hasn’t been sacked in 15 straight quarters. Look out: Indy are 3-5, but are very much in play for the AFC South.

• The 26 touchdown passes Patrick Mahomes has tossed through his first eight games of the season is as many as his predecessor Alex Smith had all of last year – and Smith had a good season. It also makes him one of only three quarterbacks in league history to pass for 25+ touchdowns in eight weeks (Peyton Manning and Tom Brady are the other two). Kansas City aren’t slowing down any time soon.

• A pre-game report from the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggests there is dysfunction in Cleveland. Stunner. The Browns, it is suggested, are deciding whether or not to fire offensive coordinator Todd Haley but Haley isn’t the problem; Hue Jackson is. Jackson is now 3-36-1 in Cleveland, an almost impossibly bad total. His overall coaching record places him 218th of 219 coaches in career winning percentage (Jackson went 8-8 in Oakland). The Browns are heading into a bye week after Sunday’s 33-18 loss to the Steelers. It’s time to make the change.

• Jon Gruden walked off the field on Sunday, attempting to rally the Black Hole as he did. “We’ll be back,” he said. Has anyone told Gruden that the team is literally fleeing to Las Vegas, with a year spent crashing with the 49ers in Santa Clara chucked in for good measure?

• Don’t look now, but Seattle are above .500 after Sunday’s win over the Detroit Lions. Their defense currently ranks fourth in defensive efficiency and their offensive line is playing at a high level too. Talk of the Seahawks’ demise may have been greatly exaggerated.

• One bugaboo: can we stop crediting Doug Pederson every time a coach goes for it on fourth down? I know it’s grouchy. I don’t care. Sure, Pederson helped popularize the trend. It’s also simple analytics.

• Packers fans won’t want to hear it, but Sunday’s 29-27 loss to the Rams was encouraging. Green Bay’s defense threw wrinkles at Sean McVay and Jared Goff that the pair struggled with early on. Aaron Rodgers and company proved they could move the ball a little, the best you can ask for against this Rams squad. A late game fumble cost the Packers (and viewers) a chance at a Rodgers two-minute drive to win the game. If the two teams were to meet again in the postseason, Green Bay would have a shot.