news

Todd Bowles defends playing WR late against Ravens

Vaseline October 22, 2024

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost star wide receiver Chris Godwin to a likely season-ending ankle injury in the final minute of their 41-31 Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle with 59 seconds left in the match after being tackled near midfield by Roquan Smith. The veteran receiver was unable to get up and had to be taken away in an air throw after the injury, with ESPN’s broadcast refusing to show a replay of the gruesome injury.

Tampa Bay trailed by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter and had an estimated win probability of just 0.1 percent at the time of Godwin’s injury, according to ESPN Analytics. That led many to wonder why the Buccaneers abandoned receiver in the game.

Todd Bowles defended his decision to keep Godwin and his starters on the field during a post-game press conference, despite a win being highly unlikely.

“He’s a player,” Bowles told reporters, referring to Godwin. “We’re trying to win the ball game. We were still down by 10. We’re trying to get extra points and kick another offside. (The injury) just happened.”

NFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 8: Bucs, Vikings appear in reshuffled NFC photo

Bowles also explained that the decision was partly related to the personnel Tampa Bay had available late in the game. The Buccaneers had just four healthy receivers on the roster after Mike Evans was sidelined with a hamstring injury in the first quarter.

“When Mike went down, we didn’t have that many receivers left,” Bowles said. “So we play what we have.”

But couldn’t it be argued that Evans’ injury and the team’s lack of receiver depth would give Bowles more incentive to retain Godwin for the Buccaneers’ crucial Week 8 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons as a victory became increasingly unlikely?

“You can say that because he got hurt. We have no doubt about it,” Bowles said. “We’ve got our guys. We’re playing everyone we’ve got. It’s a shame he got hurt, but he’s a football player and he wants to be in the game, just like Baker (Mayfield) and everyone else wanted to be.” in the game.”

NFL WEEK 7: 32 things we learned, including big quotes from top candidates

Bowles chafed at the idea that he had failed to protect Godwin by leaving him on the field for the team’s one-minute drill.

“I protect my players all the time,” Bowles said. “That has nothing to do with why we left him in the ball game. We still had a chance to score some points and win the ball game. It happens. It happens in football.”

The injury could not have happened at a worse time for all parties. The Buccaneers are preparing for a key Week 8 matchup against the Falcons that will determine which team controls its own destiny in the NFC South early in the season.

Meanwhile, Godwin was in the midst of a career-best season and ranked second in the NFL with 576 receiving yards through seven weeks. He was scheduled to become a free agent after the 2024 NFL season and the 28-year-old would have had a robust market.

Instead, he will transition to another long-term rehab as the Buccaneers face the remainder of the season without him.

“Our prayers go out to him,” Bowles said of Godwin. “Chris is a great player and a great person. There’s not much you can say. You feel sorry for him and unfortunately they’re not going to cancel the games.”

“We have to get up and move on. But our hearts are heavy.”