Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans are sick of hearing about the injury bug, but the sound of it chewing through the roster remains as present as ever this deep into the season. Just about every prominent player has missed some time -- whether game time or weeks at a time -- with some sort of injury, but the Bucs are preparing to play one of their biggest games of the season as healthy as they've been all year.
Playing the Carolina Panthers isn't itself a big game, but the stakes are serious for Tampa Bay. A win over their division rival would not only serve as a revenge game against Dave Canales, but would go a long way in getting the Bucs back into the mix for an NFC South crown.
Tampa Bay came into Sunday trailing the Atlanta Falcons by two games, thanks in large part of a four game losing streak before the bye week. A bounce back win over the Giants last week has set the season back on track and a win over the Panthers would be a huge boost that could be coupled with some struggles by Atlanta.
All the Bucs need to focus on now, though, is taking things one game at a time. For this specific game, a big name is set to make a miraculous return.
Full inactives list for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13 vs. Panthers
Tristan Wirfs sprained his MCL in Week 10's loss to San Francisco, but he avoided a serious injury that would have taken him out of action for a long period of time. As it turns out the Bucs were only without their All-Pro tackle for one game, as Wirfs is active just a few weeks after suffering his injury.
He was on track to potentially play last Sunday against New York but the Bucs opted to give him another week of rest. That patience paid off, as Wirfs will return for a game Tampa Bay needs to win, and it's a boost the offense will gladly welcome.
Not everyone will be suiting up, though. While Wirfs is returning the Bucs will be without pass rusher Joe Tryon-Shoyinka who will miss today's game with an ankle injury.
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Joe Tryon-Shoyinka | OLB | Ankle |
Tyreek Funderburk | CB | Knee |
Devin Culp | TE | Healthy Scratch |
Earnest Brown | DL | Healthy Scratch |
Michael Pratt | QB | Emergency 3rd QB |
With Tryon-Shoyinka down, the Bucs used his roster spot on quarterback Michael Pratt. While he's listed as being inactive, Pratt is eligible to play as Tampa Bay's emergency third-string quaterback, although that would mean injuries to both Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask -- in otherwords a nightmare scenario.
Not having Tryon-Shoyinka is a big blow given how thin the Bucs have been on defense and how poor the pass rush has been this year. That area of the defense is by far the weakest, but Tryon-Shoyinka has taken a few steps forward in his development.
It's a potential trap game against the Panthers, but it's one where Tampa Bay might be able to afford not having a key starter and still get away with a win.
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