Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin will be out indefinitely, likely for the entire season, after dislocating his ankle in Monday’s loss to the Ravens.
Coach Todd Bowles revealed the bad news, saying it “doesn’t look good,” while answering questions about why Godwin was tied in the game with 41 seconds left.
“You could say (he shouldn’t have been in the game), because he got hurt. We didn’t doubt it,” Bowles said. “We have our guys and we’re going to play everyone we have. It’s unfortunate that he 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 (Mayfield) and everyone else. Everyone else wanted to be in the game.”
The Bucs trailed by 10 points with less than a minute remaining when Godwin caught a pass from Mayfield before being tackled by Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. It was obvious that the star receiver couldn’t get up and was in intense pain.
ESPN declined to show a replay of the gruesome injury.
“Chris is a great player and a great human being, even more than that,” Bowles said. “But there’s not much you can say. We feel bad for him. Unfortunately, they’re not going to cancel the games. We have to step up and move on, but our hearts are heavy.”
The Bucs lost their other star receiver, Mike Evans, in the first half when he dropped a touchdown pass while aggravating his hamstring on a tackle by Ravens defensive back Brandon Stephens.
Godwin, who becomes a free agent this offseason, entered the game with 43 receptions for 511 yards and five touchdowns before catching seven passes for 65 yards against the Ravens.