The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had to deal with missing a lot of key players due to injuries through the first month of the regular season and, thanks to a few minor miracles, have walked away with a 3-1 record.
Even with all of that talent missing, Tampa Bay’s biggest challenge might be on the way in Week 5 when they travel to play the Seattle Seahawks if they have to play without star kicker Chase McLaughlin.
Placekicker Chase McLaughlin was added to the injury report on Saturday with an illness,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on Saturday, October 4. He does not have an injury designation for Sunday, meaning his status for the game against the Seahawks in Seattle is currently unknown … McLaughlin did travel with the team to Seattle on Saturday.”
McLaughlin came within one yard of tying the NFL record with a 65-yard field goal in a 31-25 loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4.
It was the longest outdoor field goal in NFL history.
Chase McLaughlin had never hit a field goal longer than 57 yards and then he goes out and DOES THIS: The man just HIT A 65-YARDER,” CBS Sports NFL reporter John Breech wrote on September 28.
It wasn’t clear what the Buccaneers might do if they don’t have McLaughlin on the roster on Sunday in terms of a replacement kicker.
McLaughlin Shakes Off Early Season Struggles
The Buccaneers showed their faith in McLaughlin before last season, when they signed him to a 3-year, $12.3 million contract in March 2024.
McLaughlin responded with the best season of his career, leading the NFL in field goals (30-of-32), field goal percentage (93.8), PAT attempts and makes (54-of-56) and total points (144) as the Buccaneers won the NFC South Division title and made the playoffs for a fifth consecutive season.
The start to 2025 hasn’t been nearly as pleasant until his booming kick against the Eagles.
Through the first 4 games, McLaughlin had already missed more field goals (3) than he did in all of 2024 and both of the misses came on attempts under 50 yards.
“He has to come back from an early season slump,” Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles said after McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal. “He has been making some great kicks for us and for him to hit that one was huge for us. We did not know he had that in range — we thought he would be close — but for him, that hit was big.”
Buccaneers Already Missing Key Players
The Buccaneers are already dealing with wide ranging injury issues headed to face the Seahawks.
Two of their starters on the offensive line are out — guard Cody Mauch is gone for the season with a knee injury and $90 million right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke is still out with a foot injury.
At the skill positions, leading rusher Bucky Irving won’t play because of a foot injury and a pair of starting wide receivers are also out with Mike Evans (hamstring) missing for a second consecutive game and Jalen McMillan (neck) not scheduled to come back until Week 10, at the earliest.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Buccaneers Dealt Massive Blow on Special Teams appeared first on Heavy Sports.