Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Ronald Jones could miss time

After a stellar 2020 season for Ronald Jones, the Buccaneers’ lead back could miss some time after an injury suffered against the Minnesota Vikings.

Of all the bad things that could befall the Buccaneers just before the playoffs, a Ronald Jones injury could be the worst. Jones has been a significant part of the Buccaneer offense this season, specifically on first down (eye roll), and using someone else could easily lead to a drop-off in production.

Very few running backs in the NFL could make so much of so little like Jones does on a weekly basis. A replacement during the final three games could have their hands full quickly.

According to ESPN’s Jenna Laine, Ronald Jones hurt his pinky finger in the matchup this past Sunday, and a procedure to rectify the problem could have him unavailable for the time being.

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While Jones is questionable to take the field this weekend, it seems more likely that the Bucs decide to rest Jones until his hand has fully healed.

On a team like Tampa Bay, where the running back is used so much on the ground and through the air, a pinky can make a mountain of difference. If Jones can’t bend his pinky or it hurts on impact with the ball, what happens to his already low catch rate?

The Buccaneers need their running backs to catch the ball at a substantially higher rate, and an injury like this could only worsen the problem.

With the playoffs well within the grasp of Tom Brady and company, losing such a big part of the offense could have a large effect on the team. Fortunately, the Buccaneers are playing the Falcons and Lions in their remaining three games, but the run hasn’t looked the same without Jones on the field so far this year.

The Buccaneers should be able to pull out wins in the coming games regardless of Jones’ health, but Bucs fans should keep up with the updates on their star running back and whether he will be back to help in this critical time.

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