TAMPA, Fla. -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick vacated his locker and took a few steps toward a refrigerator in the Arizona visitors locker room, giving starting quarterback Jameis Winston some room and a moment to breathe, away from reporters.

Winston had suffered a shoulder injury in the game, and Fitzpatrick had stepped in to throw three touchdowns, leading a fourth scoring drive, helping the Bucs erase a 31-0 deficit to nearly pull off an upset.

"He's one of the toughest guys I've ever played with," Fitzpatrick said of Winston. "For him to have to come out of the game, that was killing him. I just wanted to do him right. I wanted to go out there and play well for him because I know how much he loves this game and how much this team means to him. I'm upset we didn't pull off the win. I'm upset for him."

Winston was surprised by Fitzpatrick's remark.

"He played his tail off for me. I’m kind of surprised to hear that he felt like he disappointed me. He didn’t. He played his balls off," Winston said. "He fought. He fought very hard. He gave us a chance to win."

In some aspects, the two are an unlikely pairing. Winston is 23. He was the first overall draft pick and is in his third year in the league with the same team. So much of his life is still beginning. The extent of his parental responsibilities are taking care of a labradoodle named "Tootsie," whom he shares with his longtime girlfriend Breion Allen and affectionately calls his "daughter."

Fitzpatrick is 34 and is a former seventh-round draft pick now in his 13th NFL season. He's married to his college sweetheart Liza and they have five children. He just achieved a rare feat against the Cardinals, throwing a touchdown pass for seven different NFL teams, something that's only been done by three other players.

Winston is more likely to say exactly what's on his mind and is more animated; Fitzpatrick is more calculated and reserved. You don't know exactly what he's thinking until he says it. But the two share a mutual fondness, a desire to be consistent and a bond that's grown quickly. There's also a selflessness that you'll hear teammates talk about in the locker room. Both players are adamant about deflecting praise in victories.

“Jameis is always the same. He’s in here early and smiling and happy," Fitzpatrick said. "He’s really the heartbeat of this team, and he knows that. For him, it’s genuine. That’s who he is.”

Fitzpatrick takes the same pride in his own consistency.

"I try to be the same guy every day, no matter the situation, no matter the adversity," Fitzpatrick said, largely in part because he knows his sons are watching. "Just in terms of the demeanor and the approach and just making sure that I’m consistent in the way I do things -- that is the biggest thing for me.”

Fitzpatrick was a starter with the New York Jets the last two seasons, and in 116 out of his last 129 games, and he had wanted to continue being a starter. But he came to Tampa knowing full well that his job would be to serve as a backup and help Winston. He wouldn't get many practice reps, and that was something he had to be OK with. On game days, his job would be to hold a clipboard and to be a sounding board. He's embraced the role.

“When I signed on here, [I knew] this is Jameis’ team -- 100 percent, always," Fitzpatrick said. "For me, the biggest thing when I am out there is almost not letting him down. I know how much this means to him. I know how much him being out there means to him, so when he came out last week, that was one of the biggest things in my head. ‘All right, what can I do to not let him down?’ I’ve probably felt that way about other guys before when I’ve had to go in, but with him especially. He is a special guy. That was just kind of the overwhelming feeling I had when I was in there.”

It's the first time Winston has ever had a true veteran presence at his side. Former No. 2 QB Mike Glennon had started some games but was still figuring out the NFL game himself. The Bucs' third quarterback the past two seasons, Ryan Griffin, hasn't played in a regular-season game.

“We probably spend more time in that quarterback room together than a lot of people spend their whole year together," Winston said of Fitzpatrick. "We definitely developed a great relationship. With him being here and doing everything that I can possibly dream of in this league, I just think it’s great to have a guy like that to look up to, to go to for guidance and to be able to lean on. He knows that I’m there for him as well."

Added head coach Dirk Koetter: "I think Ryan has said in the past, as a guy who has been on seven teams ... he’s been impressed with Jameis’ work ethic, Jameis’ passion for football [and] Jameis’ competitiveness. I think that works both ways.”

Fitzpatrick’s college coach at Harvard, Tim Murphy, believes he has the right mindset for the job.

“While I still believe Fitzy is one of the 15 best quarterbacks on the planet, he understands and embraces his role to be the understudy for one of the great young quarterbacks on the planet,” Murphy said. “Jameis Winston will know, ‘Fitzy’s got my back.’”

Winston's and Fitzpatrick's roles may be reversed this weekend when the Bucs travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. Winston’s sprained AC joint may prove too painful. He may not have the velocity he needs to make the necessary throws.

“My thought process is to play -- that’s my thought process," said Winston, who's never missed a game at any level due to injury. It won't be solely up to him, however. It'll be a collective decision with input from him, the coaching staff and the training staff.

If they determine that Winston can't go? It'll be his turn to step aside and let Fitzpatrick have his moment.