With just under a minute left in Monday night's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the outcome of the game stopped mattering for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Chris Godwin went down with what the team believes is a dislocated ankle, and the scene around the stadium was about as rough as it gets.
Tampa Bay was attempting to make a miraculous comeback, having trimmed a 41-18 lead to just ten points with enough time left to score and attempt an onside kick. Godwin reeled in his seventh catch of the night, but his leg got caught under Roqoun Smith and bent in a way it shouldn't have.
Godwin was carted off the field with an air cast around his leg, leaving behind players who were still on their knees in disbelief over what is by far the biggest loss of the night for Tampa Bay. It's still unclear the full extent of Godwin's injury, but he'll likely be lost for the remainder of the season -- something that weighed heavily on players' minds after the game.
Baker Mayfield had a heartbreaking reaction after Chris Godwin injury
After the game, Baker Mayfield spoke to the media in a heartbreakingly somber tone about Godwin's injury.
"It sucks," Baker said. "Chris deserves better than that. He's an unbelievable guy and an unbelievable teammate. As you guys have seen, he's been playing extraordinarily this year. I've got a heavy heart right now. It's never something you want to see to any of your guys. I don't know what we're going to do ... thoughts and prayers with Chris and his family right now."
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield on losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to injury: “There’s no way around it. We’re gonna have to look this thing in the face and take it head on.” Mayfield called them the “huge heartbeat of this team.” pic.twitter.com/7H4AKz7zIX
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 22, 2024
We haven't heard Baker that down before, and the fact that it's abundantly clear the result of the game had nothing to do with how he was speaking makes it even worse. He reportedly went straight to the training room after leaving the podium to be with Godwin, as Jenna Laine from ESPN noted the locker room was 'terribly shaken' by what happened.
There was a fear that the way the Bucs lost to the Ravens might be something that throws off the vibes of the season, but that ended up being the injury to Godwin instead. The total dejection the team is feeling is the sort of stuff that derails a season, but unlike the 1-6 slump the team fell into last year the injury to Godwin is completely out of everyone's control.
Making matters worse is the fact that the Bucs have a must-win game against the Atlanta Falcons next week, and might also be down Mike Evans for that matchup as well. The loss to Baltimore was bad enough, but Tampa Bay took a much harder punch to the chin on Monday night than anyone could have anticipated.
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