It seems the injury list keeps piling up in the NFL, and MNF saw two more star names added to the list.
The Buccaneers experienced a nightmare game just in time for Halloween. In their Monday night loss to the Baltimore Ravens, WR Mike Evans went down early in the first half with a right hamstring injury. Matters were made even worse towards the end of the game when Chris Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle injury with just 1:04 left to play when the game was practically over.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles admitted it didn’t look good.
“Our prayers go out to him,” said Bowles of Godwin. “Chris is a hell of a player and a hell of a human being. Not much you can say. You feel bad for him, and unfortunately, they’re not going to cancel the games.”
“We got to step up and move on. But our hearts are heavy.”
Bowles also said that they are awaiting the results of the MRI scan on Evans before providing more updates.
The injuries occurred at a time when Tampa Bay looked set to control their own destiny in the NFC South, especially with a game against the Atlanta Falcons looming this week. Godwin was also in the midst of having a career-best season, leading the NFL with 50 catches and ranked second with 576 receiving yards. The 28-year-old is set to be a free agent at the conclusion of the 2024 NFL season.
With just one minute left to play in a game that was all but over, Bowles received criticism for keeping Godwin in the game — along with the likes of Baker Mayfield.
“He’s a player, and we’re trying to win the ball game,” said Bowles. “We were down 10, so we were still trying to get points and kick another onside kick, and it just happened. With Mike [Evans] going down we didn’t have that many receivers as it was, so we played with what we had.”
“It’s unfortunate he [Godwin] got hurt and we feel bad about that. But he’s a football player and he wanted to be in the game just like Baker and everyone else wanted to be in the game.”
Following Godwin’s injury, his teammates were visibly shaken and kneeled around the player in support. Baker Mayfield turned away and collapsed to his knees with his hands on his head. ESPN decided not to replay the incident after it occurred.