Coming out of their bye week, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t managed to get impact players Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin and Haason Reddick back from injury. All three were DNP’s during practices this week and have been ruled out for the Bucs week 10 game against the New England Patriots.
None have been placed on IR, leading to speculation that the extended break with the bye week could help get Irving, Godwin or Reddick back on the field. None of them have practiced though, suggesting that all three may still be a couple weeks out from returning to play.
Irving has missed four games with a shoulder injury after getting off to a relatively slow start to his season. Rachaad White has filled in as the lead back in his absence.
Godwin has only been able to suit up for two games this season, coming in weeks four and five when he caught three passes for 26 yards in each contest. He missed preseason and the first three weeks of the regular season as he recovered from a dislocated ankle he suffered in the 2024 season. He is now out with a fibula injury.
Reddick will miss his second straight game after suffering ankle and knee injuries in week seven against the Detroit Lions. He has registered 1.5 sacks this season.
No Use in Rushing Injured Players Back
Tampa Bay has dealt with the injury bug for a majority of the season, also losing Mike Evans with a broken collarbone in week seven. In spite of their depleted arsenal of offensive weapons, the Bucs have managed to get out to a 6-2 record at the midway point of the season, giving them zero reason to rush Irving, Godwin or Reddick back into action too quickly.
Rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka has emerged as a star in the absence of Tampa’s big guns. He’s caught 34 passes for 562 yards and five touchdowns this season and has become Baker Mayfield’s go-to target downfield.
Sterling Shepard and Tez Johnson have also done admirable jobs filling in for the injured Godwin and Evans, combining for nearly 500 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Rachaad White is still looking for a true signature game as the Buccaneers lead back. He hasn’t eclipsed 65 yards on the ground yet this season and only has 50 more yards than Irving despite playing in twice as many games.
Buccaneers and Patriots With Scores to Settle This Weekend
Tampa Bay vs. New England is the most eagerly anticipated game on the week 10 slate, with the teams coming in with records of 6-2 and 7-2, respectively. Drake Maye and Baker Mayfield are both in MVP contention and will be looking to make a statement in a marquee game.
Despite strong records for both teams, both have been subject to criticism about their strength of schedule. The Buccaneers two losses have come to the two best teams they’ve played, the Eagles and Lions. Though they have strong wins over the Seahawks and 49ers, this hasn’t done much to quell concern that they’re just beating up on bad teams. A win over New England would go a long way towards disproving this theory.
Meanwhile, the Patriots have only won one game against a team currently in the playoff picture, a thriller against the Buffalo Bills. In the Patriots defense, they’ve only played two games against teams currently in the playoff picture, the other being a 21-14 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Pats-Bucs kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 9.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Buccaneers Make Final Decision on 3 Injured Stars for Week 10 Patriots Game appeared first on Heavy Sports.