Tag: Chris Godwin

Roquan Smith’s tackle causing Chris Godwin’s ankle injury suggests NFL will cautiously officiate hip-drop tackles

The NFL might not be taking hip-drop tackles as seriously as we thought.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took one on the chin in their Monday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens, and Chris Godwin’s season-ending ankle injury was the awful cherry on top for the NFC contender.

However, while Godwin’s absence will have a significant impact on the NFC South race and for his fantasy football managers, the biggest ripple effect from the sequence might relate to NFL officiating.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the NFL has apparently said that Ravens star linebacker Roquan Smith used a hip-drop tackle to bring Godwin down on the play where he got injured. As we all know, discussions about the hip-drop tackle and needlessly complicating an already overwrought game with MORE penalties were major sticking points during this past offseason.

However, if the hip-drop tackle was that clear, Smith weirdly (or unexpectedly?) wasn’t flagged for it in the middle of Monday night’s game. And the NFL only reviewing it after the fact for a potential fine suggests this might be the penalty structure for most if not all, hip-drop tackles moving forward:

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1848765723096613249

My stance about penalizing hip-drop tackles as a symptom of over-officiating only changes slightly in this scenario. I still think it’s very silly to take a tool out of the toolbox for defenders in an already offensively slanted sport. It’s not like dudes are trying to injure people on purpose. You bring skill players down by whatever means possible, and sometimes that happens. This has always felt like trying to officiate out the brutality of an inherently brutal sport for optics.

With that said, I appreciate that defenders like Smith might, at least, not hurt their team in the middle of important games with a backbreaking penalty thanks to the foolish rule.

If penalizing hip-drop tackles will really only have the structure of reviews the following day, followed by possible fines, I find this whole deal much easier to stomach. It’s still not great that it hurts the pockets of guys just doing their jobs, but you can live with it if it doesn’t otherwise affect the outcome of a game too much.

Maybe this is the way the NFL always intended to officiate hip-drop tackles.

Chris Godwin to undergo surgery and likely miss the remainder of the season

Chris Godwin is set to undergo ankle surgery this week for a dislocated ankle and is expected to fully recover for the 2025 season.

Monday night’s 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens ultimately proved to be a disaster for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rather than just a loss on their record. As reported by Ian Rapoport, Chris Godwin is set to undergo ankle surgery this week for a dislocated ankle and is expected to fully recover for the 2025 season.

With 1:04 remaining in the fourth quarter, Baker Mayfield and Chris Godwin connected for a 21-yard reception as the Bucs attempted a comeback. That is when the worst-case scenario occurred: Godwin went down with an obvious gruesome injury. Joe Buck announced that ESPN decided the injury was ugly enough not to show the replay.

As Godwin was carted off the field with his left leg in an air cast, you could see him mouthing the words “back to work” as he appeared to know the extent of his injury already and had his mind set on rehabbing and getting back to the field as soon as possible. Godwin, playing in the final year of his contract, was on pace for a career year with 121 receptions, 1398 yards, and 12 touchdowns.

NFC South rival’s prime-time loss may give the Saints a fighting chance

The Buccaneers’ loss in prime time may give the Saints a fighting chance. Tampa Bay lost a lot of firepower, and the NFC South remains close:

On Monday night, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a brutal loss to the Baltimore Ravens who had them outscored 34-10 by the end of the third quarter. To Tampa’s credit, Baltimore is a phenomenal football team with top tier talent and a future Hall of Famer as their head coach. A loss to them shouldn’t take the spirits out of your team right? Probably not. But what Tampa suffered Monday night felt like much more than an L in the win-loss column.

The team’s top two wide receivers and maybe the best duo in the sport, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both suffered injuries to the lower extremities against the Ravens. Evans, who had caught the game’s first touchdown pass, suffered a hamstring injury that ruled him out for the remainder of the game. Meaning it was up to his fellow teammate Chris Godwin to carry the load.

Godwin did contribute in picking up the slack making some tough catches throughout the game including a 3rd-and-17 conversion late in the fourth quarter. But it seemed as though after this catch, Godwin was slow to get up. Godwin looked to be in serious pain after he was tackled by linebacker Roquan Smith. Enough pain to the point where he was put in an air cast and carted off of the field. Official diagnosis, a dislocated ankle.

Although we do not yet know the timeline of these injuries, we do know how impactful each player is to this Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense. Mike Evans so far this season has 26 receptions for 335 yards and 6 touchdowns, which is tied for 1st among all receivers. Chris Godwin on the other hand is having a monster season, totaling 50 receptions for 576 yards and 5 touchdowns, which is good for top three in each category. With so much reliance on these two players in the Buccaneers offense, what will they do if significant time is missed? Looking ahead to their next three games they are at home against Atlanta, visiting Kansas City, and another home game against the 9ers. Just a brutal stretch.

With Tampa potentially struggling to win these next string of games, does this allow a team like the Saints to catch up in the South?

We’ll just have to wait and see how things shake out as they are currently battling their own injury concerns. We should know more later in the week on where the arrow is pointing on a lot of key players. If the Saints can get healthy specifically on the offensive side of the ball, they could at the very least keep themselves in games going forward.

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Bucs QB Baker Mayfield comments on Chris Godwin’s injury

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did more than just lose a football game on Monday, they lost their heart and soul on offense. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did more than just lose a football game on Monday, they lost their heart and soul on offense. The Bucs did their best to fight back into a game that saw them down significantly but it came at a cost.

That cost was Chris Godwin’s ankle, dislocated in the game’s final minute against the Ravens.

Godwin has been on pace for a career year, trending towards 1,447 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. All that was coming alongside Mike Evans, who caught his 100th receiving touchdown on Monday. In their years together, they proved to be a lethal threat in the passing game, and now Baker Mayfield is without them.

Mayfield commented post-game that “It absolutely sucks…Chris (Godwin) deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy, unbelievable teammate.”

The Bucs offense will have its work cut out finding a way to replace his production on the field and his leadership off of it.

Why the heck was Chris Godwin still in the Buccaneers loss late before his horrible injury?

Why was Chris Godwin still in the game????

That question above is the one everyone is asking, and rightfully so.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were down 41-31 late on Monday night in Week 7 to the Baltimore Ravens, with the game probably out of hand barring a miracle, but they kept the starters out.

Then, Chris Godwin got injured in what’s initially being called a dislocated ankle that will leave the Bucs star out indefinitely.

So why the heck would you keep him in there? Head coach Todd Bowles said this, via CBS Sports: “We were down 10, so we were still trying to get points and kick another onside kick, and it just happened. With Mike going down we didn’t have that many receivers as it was, so we played with what we had.”

Then he added this:

It’s unfortunate this happened, but it could have been avoided.

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5 takeaways from the Bucs brutal loss to the Ravens in Week 7

Here are five key takeaways from the Bucs’ 31-41 loss to the Ravens in Week 7.

A quick 10-0 start for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the Baltimore Ravens sent Raymond James Stadium into a frenzy.

However, 34 unanswered points from Lamar Jackson and the Ravens had fans leaving the stadium at the end of the third quarter. While the Buccaneers may have lost the game, they would go on to lose much more as the game went on.

Here are five key takeaways from the Bucs’ 31-41 loss to the Ravens in Week 7.

Consistently inconsistent

Wins are hard to come by in the NFL and are even more challenging to earn when you do not play consistently, which is precisely what this Buccaneers team lacks. On both sides of the ball, through all seven games, it’s hard to determine which Buccaneers team will show up and how many quarters will last.

Wide receiver depth is a glaring hole

When you have the luxury of superstar wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, there should never be a discussion about issues at WR for the Buccaneers. A worst-case scenario for the Bucs happened as the team lost both Evans and Godwin on the same night. While Evans reaggravated a hamstring injury, he should miss minimal time, whereas Godwin will likely be done for the remainder of the season.

You cannot replace receivers the caliber of an Evans or a Godwin, but who on the roster will step up and assert themselves as leaders inside the wide receivers room? Baker Mayfield and Sterling Shepard showed a rekindling of their former college teammate relationship in Week 4; however, that has been routinely non-existent since then, leaving a real issue at wide receiver for the Bucs.

Defense is still an issue

This season, the Buccaneers have needed to play nearly perfect offense more often than not, as their defense has been unable to slow down their opponents. For added context, the Bucs defense even allowed the Detroit Lions to control the clock and generate more offensive yards in a winning effort in Week 2.

Sure, they’ve battled injuries, but it’s a recipe for disaster when you force your offense to play mistake-free, and this was on full display for the Buccaneers against the Ravens. Through seven games, the 4-3 Buccaneers defense has allowed opposing offenses to outgain them four times.

Good problem in the running back room

The good news for the Buccaneers is that Rachaad White showed flashes of why he was the clear-cut starting running back coming into the season. This gives the Bucs an embarrassment of riches in the backfield between White, Bucky Irving, and Sean Tucker, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week. As the Bucs will need to do some serious soul-searching, particularly on offense, with the loss of their top two leading receivers, OC Liam Coen may start leaning on the emerging three-headed monster in the backfield.

It all boils down to coaching

The Buccaneers showed they would not give up when they recovered the onside kick with 3:46 remaining in the game. On a drive that would result in a touchdown and bring the Bucs within 10 points as they trailed 31-41, there were no attempts to get out of bounds or throw toward the sideline to stop the clock— they still had all three timeouts, plus a potential of being ahead of the two-minute warning. The following Ravens series was an attempt to run out the clock, with the Bucs defense forcing a punt.

Todd Bowles kept his starters in the game, which was already out of reach with 1:34 remaining and no timeouts remaining. The result was a gruesome injury to Godwin, and the early expectation is that he will not return for the season as his lower left leg was immediately put in an air cast.

When teams are inconsistent, it comes back to coaching. Ironically, this has been a consistent theme among Bucs fans, with their general distaste for Bowles as the team’s head coach. As the Bucs await to hear the prognosis on Evans’s hamstring injury, it will be a tumultuous finish to the second quarter of the season for a Bucs team who have a gauntlet of the Atlanta Falcons, Kansas City Chiefs, and San Francisco 49ers.

Buccaneers injury update: Chris Godwin exits game with ankle injury

The Bucs wide receiver suffered a gruesome leg injury that could knock him out for an extended period.

(This story was updated to add new information.)

The night went badly enough for the Buccaneers, but it ended with the worst case scenario.

With the Bucs’ Monday Night Football matchup with the Baltimore Ravens out of reach, wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered what appeared to be a serious leg injury in the closing minute of the game.

Chris Godwin injury update

His leg was put into an air cast, and he was carted off the field. The injury was bad enough that the ESPN broadcast did not replay it. At his post-game press conference, coach Todd Bowles confirmed the injury to be a discolated ankle, but its severity was undetermined.

Bowles provided no timetable for Godwin’s return.

Godwin’s injury had no impact on the game’s outcome, which the Ravens had well in hand 41-31 with less than two minutes remaining. Instead, the Bucs could be without their leading receiver for the rest of the season.

The loss of Godwin comes on top of Mike Evans’ exit early in the game with a hamstring injury. Facing a major divisional game with the Atlanta Falcons next week, the Bucs could be without both of their starting receivers with the NFC South lead on the line.

Ravens vs. Buccaneers: Top photos from Baltimore’s 41-31 win on Monday Night Football

We’re looking at the top photos from the Baltimore Ravens 41-31 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday night in Week 7

The Ravens started the game down 10-0, then scored 41 unanswered points, jumping out to a massive lead before allowing 21 late points to the Buccaneers in the fourth quarter. Even with the defensive letdown, Baltimore’s performance won’t overshadow Lamar Jackson’s five-touchdown pass performance, as the Ravens moved to 5-2 on the season with a 41-31 win over Tampa at Raymond James Stadium.

Baltimore amassed 508 yards of total offense but had a dominant performance ruined as the defense allowed over 430 yards of offense for Tampa.

With preparation for the Browns in Week 8 set to begin, here’s an instant analysis of the big win on Monday Night Football.

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Seahawks WR’s Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are a historic duo

Seahawks WR’s Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are a historic duo

You do not need to hear it from me to understand the Seattle Seahawks have a dynamic duo at wide receiver. Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf are a combo that routinely make defenses pay, and they have been doing so ever since they became teammates.

It can be easy to forget sometimes just how truly dominant these two are, which is why we at Seahawks Wire are more than happy to remind fans everywhere. Since the 2019 season, Metcalf and Lockett have combined for 86 receiving touchdowns. This is second only to the duo of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Not to give any disrespect to Russell Wilson, who was sublime in 2019 and 2020, but Evans and Godwin had a ridiculous advantage on their side. They had a quarterback by the name of Tom Brady throwing them the ball. You know, simply the greatest of all time. No big deal.

Lockett and Metcalf routinely prove themselves each week by being forces to be reckoned with. So far on the year, Metcalf has 31 receptions for 469 yards and two touchdowns. As for Lockett, he has hauled in 26 catches for 339 yards and a score as well.

Seattle will need both playing a high level if they want any chance at escaping Atlanta with a road victory.

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Ravens will face the NFL’s second best offense in back to back weeks

The Buccaneers’ high-octane offense ranks second in a key category—scoring. The Bucs are tied with the Commanders for the league’s top spot in total points scored—178.

If you like scoring points, you have come to the right place. Last week, the Baltimore Ravens beat the Washington Commanders, 30-23, in a match-up of the NFL’s No. 1 (Baltimore) and No. 2 offenses.

And by top offense, we mean average yards gained per game. The Ravens still hold this distinction this week as they prepare to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday Night Football.

The Buccaneers’ high-octane offense ranks second in a key category—scoring. The Bucs are tied with the Commanders for the league’s top spot in total points scored—178.

However, the Detroit Lions hold the top spot for points per game at 30.2, scoring 151 points in one less game (5). The Ravens’ next opponent is tied with Baltimore’s most recent opponent, averaging 29.7 points per game.

The Ravens are the next team in both tables, with 177 points scored in total and 29.5 ppg. In other words, this sounds like a game where you should take the over.