It feels like a broken record at this point, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are still feeling the effects of the injury bug chewing through its roster.
The week presented some surprisingly hopeful news, with both Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan returning to practice. Neither player will be active for Sunday's game against the Saints but the fact that they're both on the cusp of returning is absolutely stunning.
News that Evans, specifically, is ready to return is a major plot twist. He broke his clavicle less than two months ago in the loss to Detroit and at the time it appeared his season was over. While he's not exected to suit up until next week, with a return against the Panthers a week later more likely, getting him back at all his a major boost to both the offense and the team's overall morale.
What doesn't help is an injury to Tristan Wirfs. That's how the week ended, with the All-Pro tackle ending up on the injury report and looking unlikely to play. That was confirmation nobody in Tampa was looking forward to ahead of kickoff.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactive list for Week 14 vs. Saints
Here's a look at everyone who won't be suiting up for the Bucs today as they try to avoid a potential trap game against the Saints:
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Benjamin Morrison | CB | Hamstring |
Tristan Wirfs | OL | Oblique |
Elijah Klein | OL | Healthy Scratch |
Elijah Simmons | DL | Healthy Scratch |
Keavon Merriweather | S | Healthy Scratch |
Connor Bazelak | QB | Emergency 3rd String |
Wirfs being out is potentially massive, as the Saints are going to be playing today solely to spoil the Bucs' season. A loss doesn't knock them out of first place, but it places a road block on what is an otherwise clear path toward winning the NFC South.
The math is simple: if the Bucs win their next three games, they'll have secured a fifth straight division title with three games left to play. It'll be the earliest they've wrapped the South up since the Tom Brady era, and it would mean some much-needed rest for veterans.
The good news is that most of the other key players Tampa Bay has been missing are back. Bucky Irving is healthy after making his triumphant return last Sunday, and Chris Godwin started to look like his old self in the win over Arizona as well.
Defensively, the Bucs also have Haason Reddick back, which hopefully gets a lackadaisical pass rush going. Jamel Dean is healthy, and the Bucs are set up for what is hopefully a nice bounce-back game that starts building up some confidence at the exact time the team needs it the most.