By james art The Atlanta Falcons won’t have to cover wide receivers Mike Evans or Chris Godwin when they face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8. But they will likely have to stop rookie Bucky Irving.
Irving returned to practice in limited fashion on Friday. He is officially listed as questionable for Sunday, but Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles sounded confident to reporters Friday that Irving will play.
#Bux HC Todd Bowles said that unless something happens, Bucky Irving should be fine to play.
This is great for the Tampa Bay offense! pic.twitter.com/oiCJ3zhhE3
— Matt Matera (@matty4_matera) October 25, 2024
Irving didn’t practice at all Wednesday or Thursday because of a toe injury.
His presence in Week 8 could be huge for the Buccaneers, who will play their first game of the season without Evans or Godwin. Both receivers suffered injuries Monday night against the Baltimore Ravens.
Godwin landed on injured reserve and could be out for the season. Evans avoided IR, but the Buccaneers ruled him out for Week 8.
Irving leads the Buccaneers with 351 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns this season. He also averaged 5.2 yards per carry. This could be a big boost for the Buccaneers, even though they have decent depth at running back. Veteran running back Rachaad White finished just shy of 1,000 yards rushing last season. But White is averaging 3.7 yards per punt in 2024.
The Buccaneers also have running back Sean Tucker, who has started to get some opportunities in Tampa Bay’s backfield. He has rushed for 172 yards on just 21 carries, averaging 8.2 yards per carry, this season.
If the Falcons-Buccaneers matchup is anything like it was just three weeks ago, Tampa Bay will need all the offensive firepower it can muster to handle Atlanta. The two teams combined for 66 points in a Thursday night game on October 3rd.
With the Falcons’ offense relatively solid heading into this weekend, Atlanta should have the upper hand if it comes to that kind of matchup again.
Along with Irving, Buccaneers wide receiver Rakeem Jarrett and tight end Payne Durham are listed as questionable for Week 8. But both Jarrett and Durham practiced fully Friday.
In addition to Evans, the Buccaneers ruled defensive back Tykee Smith and defensive tackle Greg Gaines out for the game. Smith is dealing with a concussion while Gaines has a calf injury.
The Falcons and Buccaneers will kick off at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday at 1:00 PM ET.