A running theme this season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season has been how hard things have been thanks to th injury bug. Every single key player has suffered some sort of injury and has missed time, from a few plays like Baker Mayfield to the rest of the season like Chris Godwin.
Mike Evans missed three games with a hamstring injury, both Tristan Wirfs and Vita Vea sprained their MCL, and Cade Otton hasn’t played since early December. No side of the ball has been hit harder than the defense, though, as Todd Bowles has somehow managed hold things together despite not playing with a full deck the entire season.
The good news is none of that held the team back from winning a fourth straight NFC South title or punching a fifth consecutive ticket to the playoffs. Even better news is that the Bucs are going to be as healthy as we’ve seen them recently when they take on the Commanders in the Wild Card on Sunday night.
Full inactives list for Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Wild Card game vs. Commanders
Player | Position | Injury |
|---|---|---|
Devin Culp | TE | Healthy Scratch |
Kam Johnson | WR | Healthy Scratch |
Tanner Knue | WR | Healthy Scratch |
Royce Newman | OL | Healthy Scratch |
Jose Ramirez | LB | Healthy Scratch |
C.J. Brewer | DL | Healthy Scratch |
Ryan Neal | S | Healthy Scratch |
Two of the biggest names fans were keeping an eye on heading into Sunday were Cade Otton and Antoine Winfield Jr., neither of whom have played for weeks. Winfield injured his knee against the Raiders and Otton hasn’t played since before the loss to Dallas in mid-December.
Both will be back for Sunday night’s game against the Commanders, and it’s hard to overstate what a boost that will be.
Otton stepped up big for Mike Evans while he was out and worked his way into being a key piece of the passing attack. Baker Mayfield historically likes to lean on his tight end, which helped build a connection between the two that should pay off with all the other improvements the offense has made in recent weeks.
Specifically, Jalen McMillan coming into his own has been a huge boost and has added another dimension to the passing game at the exact right time. Now the Bucs head into a playoff game with weapons like McMillan, Otton, Bucky Irving, Rachaad White, and Evans, which is a dangerous combo for a quarterback playing as well as Baker has been.
Defensively the Bucs have held things down surprisingly well despite not having Winfield healthy. Tampa Bay has only allowed 26 second half points since its bye week, and that has largely happened without Winfield. He was key in helping contain Jayden Daniel’s in the Week 1 win, and he’s an instant game changer when he’s in the secondary.
Jamel Dean is also going to play, as will Mike Edwards, despite both having battled injuries lately. Lest we forget this is also the playoff return for Shaq Barrett, who has been such a key piece of the team’s pass rush in the past and is returning to the defense exactly when the team needs it.
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