Tag: Chris Godwin

Bucs’ Chris Godwin leads NFL in a key receiving catgeories through Week 6

Through six games, the Bucs wide receiver has been on a tear and leads all receivers in the NFL in not just one but multiple key categories.

Having a sure-handed wide receiver like Chris Godwin is a luxury. Through six games, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver has been on a tear and leads all receivers in the NFL in not just one but multiple key categories.

Godwin leads the way for wide receivers with a minimum of 25 targets on the season, catching 84.3% of on-target throws in his direction by quarterback Baker Mayfield, who completes 43-of-51 passes. Cincinnati Bengals superstar wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase trails with an 82.9 catch rate on 10-less targets (41), supplying Mayfield with a 138.3 passer rating when he tosses the ball toward Godwin.

Receiving yards has Godwin positioned with the third-most at 510 behind Houston Texans’ Nico Collins (566) and the Bengals’ Chase (565). Where Godwin begins to set himself apart from the pack is his 335 yards after catch eclipse that of the second-place Chase (268), who is more commonly known as an explosive receiver, by 67. The only slot receiver in the NFL who averages more yards after catch per reception is Green Bay’s Jayden Reed with 8.1 YAC/REC. He also is tied with Chase, Allen Lazard, and fellow Buccaneers Mike Evans to lead the NFL with 5 TD.

Godwin’s chemistry with Mayfield has generated a league-leading 30 receiving first downs through six games. To make things impressive, Godwin is ranked 55th in the league for average depth of target (ADOT) at just 5.2 yards- essentially half (10.3) of what he saw in Dave Canales’ offense last season.

The Texans connection between quarterback CJ Stroud and Collins has generated the second-most receiving first downs on the season with 27, with an ADOT of 12.0- nearly three times that of Godwin.

Currently on pace for a career year with 122 receptions, 1445 yards, and 14 touchdowns, The 28-year old Godwin is picking no better time to produce even higher numbers than what Bucs fans have grown accustomed to, as he is playing in the final year of his three-year contract.

Best photos of former Penn State stars in the NFL’s Week 6

Check out some of the best photos of Saquon Barkley and Chris Godwin and others from the NFL’s Week 6.

Penn State continues to be represented well at the next level in the National Football League, and some of the program’s top offensive players in recent years took a part in helping their respective teams pick up a win this weekend.

[autotag]Chris Godwin[/autotag] had a big week to help the Tampa Bay Buccaneers blow out the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans. Godwin had 11 receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns in the 51-27 road win and improved to 4-2.

Saquon Barkley did not have a big day in the stat sheet for the Philadelphia Eagles, who edged the lowly Cleveland Browns by four points at home. But Barkley did carry the football 18 times for 47 yards and caught two passes for seven yards in a pretty sluggish day for the Birds.

Here are some of the best photos from this past weekend of NFL action with some of Penn State’s finest performing at the next level.

Follow Kevin McGuire on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.

Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads.

Bucs WR Chris Godwin dominated the Saints in Week 6

The Bucs’ offense has had its fair share of ups and downs, but in Week 6, they may have finally found their footing.

The Bucs’ offense has had its fair share of ups and downs, but in Week 6, they may have finally found their footing. No pun intended, of course, but Baker Mayfield and his footwork were a mess, and so was the offense early on.

One player who helped him settle down, though, was Chris Godwin.

He peppered Godwin with targets early and often, letting him be creative and do the heavy lifting for him. Mike Evans was the focus of everyone early on, as he usually is against the Saints and Marshon Lattimore.

The play design allowed Godwin to create with space, and he did.

He finished with 11 receptions for 125 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Of his 125 yards, 105 of them came after the catch. They had him working out of the slot and catching checkdowns, but he was not settling for anything against the Saints.

The results were him filling the box score and the Bucs putting 51 points on the board.

What channel is Bucs vs. Saints on today? Streaming info to watch Week 6 game

The Buccaneers look to bounce back from their blown lead loss to the Atlanta Falcons in primetime by securing their first NFC South win.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to bounce back from their blown lead loss to the Atlanta Falcons in primetime by securing their first NFC South win. The New Orleans Saints limp into this matchup, which leads fans and the team unsure of what to expect from the explosive offense of the Saints.

Tampa Bay Bucs (3-2) vs. New Orleans Saints (2-3)

Sunday, Oct. 13rd, Noon EST

Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Watch

The game will be broadcast on FOX as part of their TV deal with the NFL. If you are in the selected market, you can find the game on your local FOX channel.

Listen

The Bucs radio broadcast team of Gene Deckerhoff, Dave Moore, and T.J. Rives returns for another year. Their call of the game can be heard on the 19 affiliates of the Tampa Bay Bucs Radio Network across Florida, including the Bucs Flagship Station WXTB 97.9 FM in Tampa Bay.

Outside of the Tampa Bay area, the game will be broadcast on Sirius/XM Channel away (381), home (229). The NFL+ app will also stream the audio for fans on mobile devices.

We occasionally recommend interesting products and services. If you make a purchase by clicking one of the links, we may earn an affiliate fee. USA TODAY Network newsrooms operate independently, and this doesn’t influence our coverage.

5 key takeaways from the Bucs 33-16 route of the Eagles

This Buccaneers team did just that, stifling Jalen Hurts and the Eagles on defense and easily moving the ball down the field on offense.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered an embarrassing loss last week to the Denver Broncos and needed a bounce-back win in an important game against a conference opponent and playoff powerhouse as the Philadelphia Eagles came to town. This Buccaneers team did just that, stifling Jalen Hurts and the Eagles on defense and easily moving the ball down the field on offense.

Here are five key takeaways from the Buccaneers’ 33-16 route over the Eagles.

1. All gas, no brakes

Beating the Detroit Lions and then losing to the Broncos was a head-scratcher for most if not all, Bucs fans. From the opening snap in Week 3, the Buccaneers looked sluggish and could not get anything going on either side of the ball. After a week-long cry for more energy and effort, the Buccaneers came out in Week 4, firing on all cylinders and never letting up. We often see a team go up big and then play prevent defense to close out the game. This was not the case for the Bucs today, and it showed that this team can dominate games.

2. Buccaneers are capable of dominating games

One thing of note, while the Buccaneers are 3-1 on the season now, they were outplayed by both the Lions and Broncos, as the play-calling (for both offense and defense) was more conservative. The Buccaneers defense gave up 0 net yards in the first quarter for the first time since 2002 in Carolina. In every level of this game, the Buccaneers were able to dominate the Eagles. Putting up 445 yards of offense and allowing just 227 yards while tallying nearly 13 more minutes of possession, there was nothing that the Bucs couldn’t do as they had their way all afternoon.

3. Vita Vea is the engine for the Bucs defense

The Buccaneers defense has so many great players, but it’s extremely noticeable when Vita Vea misses time. Coming into the game, the Eagles were the holders of the NFL’s third-best rushing offense, and while the box score may show that the Buccaneers allowed 113 yards on the ground- 59 of those yards came on one, Saquon Barkley run. Led by Lavonte David’s two sacks, the Buccaneers got to Hurts in the backfield six times on the day, six more times than the defense got to Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix just a week prior.

4. Rushing attack was attacking

Exploiting matchups is always a key to success. While the Bucs ground game has struggled in the beginning of the season, we saw what it was capable of on the legs of Rachaad White in 2023. The Eagles’ defense was ranked 24th in the league, and Liam Coen was able to exploit a defense that had largely been unable to stop the run in its first three games. Against the Broncos, it was predictable what the Bucs offense was going to run based on the personnel on the field. It was a different tune when this team took the field against the Eagles as Coen threw in some wrinkles to his offense. Earlier in the week, Todd Bowles said that Bucky Irving had earned more touches with this play, and saw just that. Both White and Irving each had 10 carries for 49 yards. Was it a barnburner effort with 100+ yards from a running back? No. But that is not typically how this team operates, and it doesn’t appear that it will function outside of a duo-laced backfield.

5. A healthy Sterling Shepard could set this offense ablaze

Former New York Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard was signed to the Bucs active roster and totaled 3 receptions for 51 yards on 5 targets. If you watched Shepard with the Giants, his availability is the only knock on his game. Adding a healthy Shepard to a team that arguably has the best wide receiver duo in the NFL with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin could be the missing piece on offense, as it could truly turn into a “pick your poison” for opposing defenses. Even more when you add the element of White and Irving being solid pass-catching backs. It will certainly be worth watching how this develops as the season progresses.

Eagles limp into bye week after a 33-16 loss to the Buccaneers in Week 4

The Philadelphia Eagles suffered a disastrous 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

With A.J. Brown (hamstring), DeVonta Smith (concussion), and Lane Johnson (concussion) out with injuries, the Eagles didn’t have enough depth in key positions. They suffered a disastrous 33-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

Jalen Hurts was sacked six times on the afternoon, and the star quarterback committed another turnover (fumble), as Philadelphia could not sustain any offensive consistency without the big three in the lineup.

Saquon Barkley had ten carries for 84 yards (8.4 avg). Still, with the Eagles playing from behind all afternoon, the running back was unable to get the Philadelphia offense over the hump against a motivated Tampa defense.

An Eagles defense that shut New Orleans down in Week 3 was gashed to 445 total yards for the Buccaneers offense, including 111 rushing yards and a twelve-minute advantage in time of possession.

Baker Mayfield was on fire early, and even after an inefficient second half, he still was 30-40 passing for 347 yards, two touchdowns, and a 100.2 rating.

Philadelphia (2-2) will now have a week off, during which questions about Sirianni’s job security and the Eagles’ playoff hopes will dominate the airwaves.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Sights and sounds from first half of Eagles matchup vs. Buccaneers

Jalen Hurts was 7-15 passing for 49 yards and one touchdown, and the Eagles offense was non-existent in the first half as Tampa jumped out to a 21-0 lead before finishing the first half with a 24-7 lead. The Buccaneers dominated time of possession, …

Jalen Hurts was 7-15 passing for 49 yards and one touchdown, and the Eagles offense was non-existent in the first half as Tampa jumped out to a 21-0 lead before finishing the first half with a 24-7 lead. The Buccaneers dominated time of possession, holding for 20:14 seconds, compared to Philadelphia’s 9+ minutes with the football.

With the second half set to begin, here are sights and sounds from the first half.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield praises Chris Godwin’s hot start to the season

Chris Godwin’s consistency through three games has been praised by his quarterback.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are off to a 2-1 start. Their Week 4 meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m. ET.

Despite their crushing 26-7 loss to the Denver Broncos last week, the Bucs still have many positives to take away as the first month of the regular season comes to a close. One of those main reasons has been wide receiver Chris Godwin’s incredible start to the 2024 season.

Godwin scored in each of the Bucs’ first three games this season, which is a consistent part of their offense. Quarterback Baker Mayfield alluded to Godwin’s high football IQ.

“The number of years they’ve done it in a row, and Chris is reliable. [You] say it enough – it’s how smart he is, understanding the defense and the coverages, understanding what we’re trying to get done within our own concepts and [he’s] a guy that is all about winning. He’s playing really well, [he] feels good [and] we have to keep him going.”

Mayfield, Godwin, and the rest of the Bucs offense will have a chance to get things back on track this week against a weak Eagles secondary.

Bucs projected to lose Chris Godwin in free agency in 2025

The former Penn State wide receiver has played his entire career with the Bucs but his contract is set to expire at the end of the season. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, like any team, will have some tough decisions to make in 2025. Some of those decisions will include a tough decision on a fan favorite and one of the best players on the team, Chris Godwin. The former Penn State wide receiver has played his entire career with the Bucs, but his contract is set to expire at the end of the season.

In a recent article, Bleacher Report projects that Godwin will join a new team in 2025.

In their article, Bleacher Report projects that Godwin will, in fact, join another quarterback who has a loaded wide receiver room to work with. They see Ryan Poles and the Chicago Bears going after the veteran pass catcher and moving on from Keenan Allen to make room.

This would make the wide receiver a needy position for the Bucs as they look for help alongside Mike Evans. The free agency class and 2025 NFL Draft are loaded at these positions, so they could be found if the team cannot or does not re-sign Godwin.

Bucs one dimensional offense leaves little room for error

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are realizing that their offense needs to add a new wrinkle to it because it’s current state isn’t sustainable.

The phrase “running the ball effectively” has often not been associated with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers- especially for the last few seasons.

In 2020, the Bucs’ Leonard Fournette-led backfield finished 26th in the NFL. The following season, the rushing offense dropped to 28th, and last season, it had the league’s worst rushing offense with 1308 yards on the ground. In fact, the last time this team finished above 25th was in 2015, when it finished fifth in the league on the legs of Doug Martin’s 1402 rushing yards.

2024 is proving to be more of the same, and the Buc’s lack of ability to run the ball reared its ugly head on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. On just two occasions, did Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph stack the box -three if we count the goal line alignment- showing a complete disregard for the Bucs rushing attack? I know someone is saying that the box didn’t need to be stacked as the Bucs were down 20-7 at the end of the first half, but the two times that defense was dialed up was with 2:35 left in the 2nd quarter and at the beginning of the 3rd quarter.

The Broncos logged seven sacks of Baker Mayfield. Per PFF, only Cody Mauch was credited with allowing a sack, meaning there were six coverage sacks of Mayfield.

Through three weeks, the Bucs are averaging 23 rushing attempts per game, which ranks them 26th. This one-dimensional offense leaves this Bucs team little room for error in the passing game, especially against a good passing defense such as the Broncos.

There is no reason to sound the alarm in Tampa as the team sits with a 2-1 record. However, being outgained by over 200 yards in Detroit further shows that this offense already needs a shot in the arm. In a league where wins are hard to come by, adding an extra element of difficulty to your own team’s success and the need to rely on a banged-up defense is a recipe for disaster.