Buccaneers: Players to watch during Week 16 in Carolina
Wide Receiver, Chris Godwin (#12)
Clarke may be a lesser known Buccaneers player, but there aren’t many who don’t know who Chris Godwin is.
With DeSean Jackson ruled out, the team will once again call on the rookie from Penn State to help fill the gap left in the passing game.
Last time, he was replacing Mike Evans. This time, he’ll benefit from the attention paid to the star receiver as the Panthers defense should routinely lean their pass coverage attention over to Evans’ side of the field.
To this point in his first year in the NFL, Godwin has 24 receptions for 316-yards and has yet to haul in his first touchdown pass.
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Heading into Carolina, he’ll face a secondary which has allowed 23 receiving touchdowns on the season, placing in the bottom eleven among defenses.
If the Bucs passing game proves to be as efficient as it was one week ago, then Godwin should get plenty of chances to build upon an already solid rookie campaign.
In his one start this year, the 6’1” receiver pulled in five catches and took those 68-yards in a victory over the New York Jets.
Since then, he’s had one more game with five catches and again produced 68-yards of offense off those receptions.
In each of the last six games, Godwin has had at least one catch go over fifteen yards, so he’s definitely got the ability to make plays.
Look for another five catches, and add a scoring play to his season.