Getty Mike Evans warms up for the Buccaneers.
The Detroit Lions battle with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15 has turned into one of the more significant battles of attrition in the NFL this season.
Not only are the Lions walking wounded for the matchup, the Buccaneers are suddenly taking on the look of one of the most dinged up teams heading into Week 15. This week alone, the Buccaneers were revealed to be down one of their top targets in wideout Mike Evans, and could be facing down another injury situation with quarterback Jameis Winston.
This week, the status of the duo is firmly up in the air as the Buccaneers come to town to take on the Lions in a battle of two teams going nowhere in 2019.
Mike Evans Status vs. Lions
It sure sounds as if the Lions will miss Evans this weekend when they tangle with Tampa Bay. The elite wideout is said to be set to miss the team’s final three games of the season with what’s being called a hamstring strain.
The loss of Evans will somewhat offset the loss of Marvin Jones from the Detroit perspective, and there is little doubt how much Evans does mean to the Buccaneers. This season alone, Evans has gone for 1,157 yards and 8 touchdowns. He’s classically one of the more elite wideouts in football and a matchup nightmare for a team like Detroit that has struggled in a major way to stop big pass plays. Taking Evans out of the equation will no doubt help the Lions this week.
Jameis Winston Stauts vs. Lions
The other Buccaneers player who could be facing an injury problem is Winston, the team’s quarterback. He appeared at a charity event on Tuesday night with a cast on his hand, but said it was preventative. During the game against the Indianapolis Colts, Winston suffered a reported fracture in his thumb, and in spite of this, the quarterback could still be expected to play for the team against the Lions.
That’s notable considering Winston has passed for 4,115 yards this season with 26 touchdowns and 23 interceptions. The Buccaneers have a better chance to win with him in the game and playing, so the question will be how effective Winston truly is with this particular injury to deal with.
Lions Injuries
If you think the Lions will feel badly for the Buccaneers given their current predicament, you’d likely be wrong. Detroit has arguably been the most injury-riddled team this season in the entire NFL. There’s the names you know in Matthew Stafford, Kerryon Johnson, Jeff Driskel, Darius Slay and most recently Marvin Jones. There’s also the names you might forget in Jarrad Davis, Da’Shawn Hand and Tracy Walker, both who have been in and out for stretches. That’s a ton of man power lost and replaced due to injury.
Safe to say this game will have the feel of a walking wounded affair, and the only toss up is which team will be more wounded.
READ NEXT: Lions Have Great Odds at High 2020 NFL Draft Pick