Receiver Chris Godwin suffers gruesome ankle injury late in Buccaneers’ loss
Tampa Bay's game against the Baltimore Ravens was all but lost, but the Bucs kept their starters in until the closing minutes. That's when the former Penn State star was hurt.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ game against the Baltimore Ravens was all but lost, seemingly a foregone conclusion as the fourth quarter began, but, with the slim possibility of a Monday Night Football miracle comeback, coach Todd Bowles’ starters were playing in the final minute of the 41-31 loss.
That’s when, as tight end Cade Otton put it later, “the terrible reality of this game” struck and star wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered an ankle injury with 59 seconds remaining that left him on his hands and knees as the cart came onto the field to take him to the locker room while fans chanted his name. ESPN producers determined replays of the injury were too gruesome to show, and the former Penn State star, according to the NFL Network, is expected to have surgery on a dislocated left ankle this week.
The decision to keep pushing, with receiver Mike Evans already out with an injury, left Bowles open to criticism.
“We don’t second-guess,” he told reporters. “We got our guys, we’re playing everybody we got. Unfortunately, he got hurt. We feel bad about that, but he’s a football player. He wants to be in the game like [quarterback] Baker [Mayfield] and everybody else.”
The Bucs trailed, 41-18, with less than 4 minutes left, but then Tampa Bay scored twice. With 94 seconds left, Tampa Bay was 75 yards from the end zone with no timeouts and in need of two scores.
“I do protect my players all the time,” Bowles said. “That has nothing to do with why we left him in this ballgame. We still had a shot to score some points and win this ball game. It happens. It happens in football.”
The loss, in which Evans aggravated a hamstring injury, dropped Tampa Bay to 4-3 six days ahead of a game against the Atlanta Falcons, with the teams tied for the NFC South lead.
Godwin had caught seven passes for 65 yards Monday night and was having a career season: 50 receptions for 576 yards and five touchdowns in his contract year.
“This absolutely [stinks],” Mayfield told reporters. “Yeah, it [stinks] for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy. An unbelievable teammate. Obviously, you guys have seen — he’s played extraordinary this year. Got a heavy heart right now.”
But he wasn’t second-guessing Bowles.
“We talked about it on the sideline, thinking, ‘If we get a quick touchdown’ — obviously already got an onside kick during the game — get a quick touchdown, an onside kick, have a possibility for a Hail Mary,” Mayfield said. “We have a group of fighters. We all wanted a chance to try and win that thing any way, some way, somehow.”