For a season that has been defined by injuries, among many other things, it's fitting that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to have the final game of the year impacted by the injury report.
Unlike most of the season, though, the news is actually good. Rather than losing a key player the Bucs are getting Calijah Kancey back at an absolutely critical moment. Perhaps it's a case of too little too late, but if Tampa Bay is going to fork over the NFC South crown then at least it seems like they'll go down swinging.
A win on Saturday does little to guarantee a playoff spot. If the Bucs can muster up a turnaround that ends the miserable losing streak the team is in the midst of, they'd need the Saints to beat Atlanta tomorrow in order to clinch.
Any other outcome means the Bucs will lose the NFC South title and miss the playoffs for the first time this decade. Hopefully the return of Kancey give the defense a boost it's been searching for as the season has melted away over the last few weeks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers inactives for Week 18 vs. Panthers
Here's everyone who won't be suiting up today against Carolina:
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Jamel Dean | CB | Shoulder |
Anthony Nelson | OLB | Knee |
Sterling Shepard | WR | Healthy Scratch |
Elijah Klein | OL | Healthy Scratch |
Elijah Simmons | DL | Healthy Scratch |
Connor Bazelak | QB | Emergency 3rd String |
Kancey's return is the biggest boost the defense has received all season, something we saw the offense afforded a few weeks ago. For the first time all year the Bucs had Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka, Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving all on the field at the same time, but it did little to turn the season around.
A big reason for that was the poor play of the defense. Where the offense has no doubt struggled, Todd Bowles has drawn the most heat over how his defense has played -- or has failed to play since the bye week.
The Bucs will need to have a big game on Saturday for more than just their playoff hopes. Jobs are potentially on the line, and careers could end with giant question marks hanging over the futures of Mike Evans and Lavonte David.
Baker Mayfield said it best last week, the Bucs are out of bullets and out of lives. But they're not dead yet, and if there's anything we know about this team it's that they dig the graves and not the other way around.
We'll find out on Saturday just whose grave they'll be digging.