This should be one of those games that gives Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans a good feeling about the rest of the season.
Instead, thanks to more injuries, Sunday night’s 19-3 victory over the Dallas Cowboys is tinged with the fear that more key members of the Bucs offense will be lost for the foreseeable future.
After three receptions for 35 yards in his first game back since last year’s season-ending knee injury, wide receiver Chris Godwin left the game in the second quarter with a hamstring injury, and didn’t return. Left tackle Donovan Smith suffered a shoulder injury in that same quarter, and was also ruled out after halftime.
Head coach Todd Bowles didn’t have any substantial update on either player during his postgame press conference, and until we know for sure, that gnawing feeling in our stomachs will remain.
As for the rest of the game, there was plenty to like, starting with the defense.
Tampa Bay held the Cowboys to just 244 yards of total offense, 3-for-15 on third down, and kept them out of the end zone all night. After giving up 54 yards and a field goal on Dallas’ opening possession, the Bucs shut everything down, coming away with four sacks and their first takeaway of the year on a sweet Antoine Winfield Jr. interception.
Devin White had two of those four sacks, led the team with eight tackles, and barely missed a game-sealing pick-six that would have made Derrick Brooks smile. Cowboys star pass-catcher CeeDee Lamb was targeted 11 times, and came away with just two receptions for 29 yards.
On offense, it was the Lenny show, as Leonard Fournette racked up 127 yards on just 21 carries (six yards per attempt), the highest rushing total he’s had as a member of the Bucs. Tom Brady had a fairly pedestrian night in the box score, but Julio Jones and Mike Evans had big nights punctuated by iconic plays. Evans had a tasty one-handed touchdown after beating Trevon Diggs on a goal-line fade, while Jones went diving for a 48-yard deep ball from Brady after proving he’s still a burner at age 33.
In the big picture, the Bucs beat an NFC opponent on the road on an opening weekend that saw fellow conference contenders like the Rams and Packers lose. It’s still plenty early, but that kind of trifecta could end up paying huge dividends at the end of the year when it’s time to settle playoff seeding in the NFC, especially if tie-breakers are involved.
The injuries are nauseating, but the Todd Bowles era begins with a road win over a quality conference opponent.
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