By james art The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to play a crucial game against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday for first place in the division, and they will do so without players.
The Bucs will play the Falcons in what is almost a must-win game for their NFC South chances, having already gone 0-1 to the Falcons this year, and they’ll have to do so with a skeleton crew at wide receiver. The Bucks lost Mike Evans for at least three games to a hamstring injury Monday night, and it only got worse when Chris Godwin went down with a game-ending sprained ankle that would end his season.
These two players will obviously not play, but they are not the only players out. According to Tampa Bay’s injury report Friday, defensive back Tyky Smith (concussion) and defensive tackle Greg Gaines (calf) will also be out. Smith will likely be replaced by defensive back Christian Isien, while Gaines could be replaced by a number of rotational defensive tackles.
The latest injury report has Mike Evans, Greg Gaines and Tyky Smith out, while Payne Durham, Bucky Irving and Rakeem Jarrett are questionable.
On the Atlanta side, LB Troy Anderson is out and, interestingly, safety Justin Simmons had a regression today and is questionable with a hamstring. pic.twitter.com/dujCHAEYxP
— River Wells (@riverhwells) October 25, 2024
READ MORE: Ravens linebacker fined for fight that injured Bucs WR Chris Godwin
In addition to these players, three are also questionable. Bucky Irving (finger), Payne Durham (calf) and Rakeem Jarrett (knee) are questionable. Irving is expected to play, according to Todd Bowles, and Durham being a full participant is encouraging for Sunday — the team may need as much help as it can get on the tight end. Jarrett can play, but the team will decide if it wants him or receiver Tanner Knew to be the sixth active wideout on Sunday.
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