Getty Images Tampa Bay Buccaneers Wide Receiver Chris Godwin
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers entered the season stacked with weapons but they are seeing some attrition early on.
Chris Godwin, who left the team’s game against the Broncos on Sunday, is expected to miss “multiple games” with his hamstring injury, as Pro Football Action relays.
“It’s never good to injure yourself and then fly for four hours or three hours – whatever it’s going to be – getting home. We’ll have to wait and see,” head coach Bruce Arians recently said of the injuries suffered by Godwin and cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, who suffered hamstring and groin injuries in the contest (via ESPN’s Jenna Laine).
The Buccaneers take on the Chargers on Sunday (with fans). After that, they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears.
Godwin Showcased Chemistry with Brady Before Getting Hurt
Godwin opened the season as the team’s leader in targets, seeing seven against the Saints in Week 1. He converted six of those into catches, netting 79 yards.
The former Penn State wideout didn’t play in Week 2, though in Week 3 against the Buccaneers, he connected with Brady on a 10-yard score.
Coach Bruce Arians was pleased with Godwin’s effort on the play.
“A heck of a job by Chris [Godwin] getting it in the end zone and turning that into a touchdown,” Arians said of the play after the game (via the Taylor Jenkins of the Pewter Report). “We’ve started fast in every ball game. We get a lead and we have to develop a better finish, I won’t say a killer instinct, just a finish.”
Mike Evans, who Brady believes is one of the NFL’s top WR may see more opportunities in the coming weeks. Chris Godwin left the game during the second quarter with a hamstring injury on Sunday.
Gronk Sees His Target Share Rise
Heading into the Broncos contest, Gronk hadn’t seen many looks from Brady. He entered the Week 3 contest with a total of just two catches on four targets, netting 11 yards. That changed on Sunday as the tight end led the team in targets (seven), catching six passes for 48 yards.
“Again, this was one of those teams that was going to double-team Mike [Evans] the entire game and that opens it up for the guys inside,” Arians said (via the Taylor Jenkins of the Pewter Report). “So I really liked the way that we improved in that area, getting the guys open and catching the ball and delivering it to them. If they’re going to double Mike, those guys have to show up.”
Tom Brady looked sharp when targeting Gronk and his other weapons throughout the game. There were some that believed Brady could no longer throw the ball down the field and the 43-year-old quieted some of those concerns on Sunday, tossing three touchdowns while going 25-for-38 passing on his way to 297 yards.
Buccaneers Upcoming Schedule
- Week 4 – Los Angeles Chargers
- Week 5 – Chicago Bears
- Week 6 – Green Bay Packers
- Week 7 – Oakland Raiders
- Week 8 – New York Giants
- Week 9 – New Orleans Saints
- Week 10 – Carolina Panthers
- Week 11 – Los Angeles Rams
- Week 12 – Kansas City Chiefs
- Week 13 – BYE
- Week 14 – Minnesota Vikings
- Week 15 – Atlanta Falcons
- Week 16 – Detroit Lions
- Week 17 – Atlanta Falcons
You can follow Chris Crouse on Twitter at @NBACrouse and stay up to date with the latest in Tampa Bay via the Heavy on Buccaneers Facebook Page.