Buccaneers Get Awful Injury News Before Monday Night Football Showdown
Whatever hopes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had for getting even a slight boost to their offense for a Week 7 Monday Night Football showdown against the Detroit Lions is already out the window.
One day after the Buccaneers improved to 5-1 with a dominant, 30-19 home win over the San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles told the media a pair of stars wouldn’t be available against the Lions.
“Bucs HC Todd Bowles told reporters that RB Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder) and Chris Godwin (fibula) are ‘not in play’ for next Monday night’s game against the Detroit Lions,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on Monday, October 13.
It will be the second consecutive game without Godwin for the Buccaneers after he missed the first 3 games as he recovers from surgery on a dislocated left ankle that cost him the final 9 games of the 2024 regular season.
The Buccaneers signed Godwin to a 3-year, $66 million free agent contract this offseason.
Irving, who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2024, will miss his second consecutive game with a shoulder injury.
Baker Mayfield. Kameron Johnson. TD. 😤
(via: @NFL)
Buccaneers Dealing With Myriad Injury Issues
Bowles may have just wanted to get Irving and Godwin out of the way in terms of status because he will likely spend his entire week talking about injuries.
Star rookie wide receiver and first round pick Emeka Egbuka is the latest and most critical of those. Egbuka suffered a hamstring injury against the 49ers and is likely to miss time. The former Ohio State star and No. 19 overall pick leads the Buccaneers with 27 receptions for 469 yards and 5 touchdowns.
“Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka is scheduled to undergo testing Tuesday to determine how much time he will miss from the hamstring injury he suffered vs. the 49ers,” Schefter wrote on October 13. “But it is expected to be some.”
The Buccaneers were already without Godwin, NFL All-Pro Mike Evans and 2024 starter Jalen McMillan.
Evans has missed the last 2 games with a hamstring injury — he also missed 3 games with a hamstring injury in 2024. McMillan is out until at least Week 10 after he suffered a severely sprained neck in the preseason.
Where Buccaneers Will Get Production From
The Buccaneers still have the NFL’s leading MVP candidate in quarterback Baker Mayfield and the NFL’s top offensive lineman in left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs, so the cupboard isn’t exactly bare.
With Irving out, there’s a plug-and-play replacement in former starter Rachaad White, who had over 1,500 yards of total offense in 2023 and over 1,000 yards of total offense in 2024 while backing up Irving for the last part of the season.
At wide receiver, it’s a little more complicated but there are some glimmers of hope.
Against the 49ers, Mayfield found a pair of young Buccaneers wide receivers for their first career touchdowns.
Mayfield hit second year wide receiver Kam Johnson on a 34-yard touchdown pass for a 20-13 lead in the first half and hit rookie wide receiver and 2025 seventh round pick Tez Johnson for a 45-yard touchdown and 27-19 lead with 2:30 left the third quarter.
Another Lions Star Facing NFL Punishment for Chiefs Game
Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch will likely face significant discipline from the NFL for striking Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and sparking a postgame brawl on Sunday — but he may not be the only Lions star facing punishment.
Branch’s postgame strike sparked controversy and is expected to draw both a fine and suspension. Lions head coach Dan Campbell apologized after the game and even Branch said he crossed the line.
But before Branch’s controversial attack, Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson also laid a hit that could cost him when the league announces fines next week.
Aidan Hutchinson’s Costly Late Hit
The Lions struggled to contain the Chiefs offense all game and also didn’t help themselves with some costly penalties. One of those came on a fourth-quarter passing play when Hutchinson came in late and knocked Mahomes to the ground long after the pass had been released.
The Lions were flagged for the late hit and the Chiefs extended their drive, eventually scoring a touchdown on a Mahomes pass to Marquise Brown to push their lead to 27-17.
Mahomes said after the game that he expected a physical game and wasn’t surprised to take some hard hits.
“You’re playing football. I mean, you’re being chippy,” Mahomes told reporters. “That’s a physical football team, and they have a mentality that they come in to play with, and we’re going to match that mentality. We’re not afraid to go up against anybody, and that’s the mentality coach (Andy) Reid brings every single day.”
The play will likely lead to punishment for Hutchinson, as the league fines players for late hits.
Brian Branch Facing Bigger Punishment
While Hutchinson will likely face a fine of $11,593 as a first-time offender, Branch could face a much more serious punishment. The safety has been known for his aggressive play and garnered many fines from the NFL in the past, including several this season.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio noted that this will be the fourth fine this season for Branch, who was also punished for taunting and a facemask against the Green Bay Packers and a low block against the Baltimore Ravens. Branch was also hit with seven fines during the 2024 season.
Branch didn’t get any cover from his coach, who said after the game that the incident was “inexcusable.”
“Let me start with this,” Campbell said, via NFL.com. “I love Brian Branch, but what he did is inexcusable and it’s not going to be accepted here. It’s not what we do, it’s not what we’re about. I apologized to coach [Andy] Reid and the Chiefs and Schuster. That’s not OK. That’s not what we do here, and it’s not gonna be OK. He knows it, our team knows it. That’s not what we do.”
Branch also apologized, calling his actions “childish.”
“I did a real childish thing,” Branch said, via The Athletic’s Colton Pouncy. “I’m tired of people doing stuff in between plays and refs don’t catch it. They be trying to bully me out there. I shouldn’t have did it, it was childish.”
