Time for the first injury report of the week for the game between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Carolina Panthers.
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It’s almost like a mirage, isn’t it? The Buccaneers on Monday Night Football? To tell you the truth, it happens so infrequently that I had a mental block on it all week, thinking the game was on Sunday. But it’s true, the men from Tampa take the grand stage on Monday night to face the defending NFC champions.
So, hopefully everybody reading this post is safe from the path of Hurricane Matthew. It sounds as if the game will not be affected by the storm after all, but of course we will monitor.
With that said, we have the first injury report of the week. It’s a mixed bag of information, first for the Bucs:
| Player | No. | Pos. | Injury | Thursday |
| Robert Ayers | 91 | DE | Ankle | Limited Participation |
| Doug Martin | 22 | RB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate |
| Gerald McCoy | 93 | DT | Calf | Did Not Participate |
| Clinton McDonald | 98 | DT | Hamstring | Limited Participation |
| Brandon Myers | 82 | TE | Hip | Limited Participation |
| Cecil Shorts III | 10 | WR | Hamstring | Did Not Participate |
| Charles Sims III | 34 | RB | Knee | Did Not Participate |
| Noah Spence | 57 | DE | Shoulder | Did Not Participate |
| Luke Stocker | 88 | TE | Ankle | Limited Participation |
| Keith Tandy | 37 | S | Calf | Did Not Participate |
Wouldn’t it be nice to have Robert Ayers back this week? Even if he plays a limited role in the game, his presence gives the Panthers something to think about. They need him, especially as we learned earlier today about Spence’s injury. Stocker and Myers returned to practice as well, beefing up the tight end position.
The unfortunate news is that neither Doug Martin or Charles Sims practiced. If it plays out, that will put a lot on the shoulders of Jacquizz Rodgers.
Now for the Panthers:
| Player | No. | Pos. | Injury | Thursday |
| James Bradberry | 24 | CB | Foot | Did Not Participate |
| Vernon Butler | 92 | DT | Ankle | Did Not Participate |
| Thomas Davis | 58 | LB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate |
| Devin Funchess | 17 | WR | Foot | Limited Participation |
| Ted Ginn, Jr. | 19 | WR | Foot | Limited Participation |
| Charles Johnson | 95 | DE | Quad | Did Not Participate |
| Ryan Kalil | 67 | C | Knee | Limited Participation |
| Star Lotulelei | 98 | DT | Shoulder | Limited Participation |
| Cam Newton | 1 | QB | Concussion | Did Not Participate |
| Michael Oher | 73 | T | Concussion | Did Not Participate |
| Mike Remmers | 74 | T | Shoulder | Limited Participation |
| Jonathan Stewart | 28 | RB | Hamstring | Did Not Participate |
| Mike Tolbert | 35 | RB | Hamstring | Limited Participation |
Next: Bucs Helping Out in the Community
Now isn’t that a nice long list of big names? Anyone else smiling about even the potential of a game against the Panthers without Newton, Stewart, Tolbert, and Thomas Davis, among others? That would certainly level the playing field for this big NFC South matchup.
We will monitor all of these injuries as the week concludes.