By james art 
Injuries affect all NFL teams as the violent nature of the sport takes its toll on the body. However, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been hit particularly hard by injuries on the offensive side of the ball recently. After losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, the Buccaneers must get the most out of their remaining offensive playmakers as the team prepares to face the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 9.
Unfortunately, the Bucs are hit beyond Godwin and Evans. The latest lists of injury reports running back Bucky Irving and tight ends Sterling Shepard and Jaylen McMillan are questionable for Monday night, according to X’s NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Irving is still dealing with a nagging toe injury that kept him out of practice before the Bucs’ Week 8 game against the Atlanta Falcons. He made a play in that game, carrying the ball nine times for 44 yards and adding seven receptions for 40 yards — not bad for your PPR fantasy team, but not so good for the Buccaneers, who lost to their division rivals 31-26 .
Broken Buccaneers Can’t Afford to Lose Bucky Irving to Injury
The Buccaneers selected Irving in the fourth round of the 2024 draft out of Oregon. Tampa Bay paired Irving with Rachaad White in the backfield. The two have combined for 651 rushing yards this season, but Irving leads the team with 76 carries for 395 yards and three touchdowns. He is slowly becoming the Bucs’ best defender and is essential to the team’s success as Tampa Bay must rely on the running game without their top two receivers.
Both Godwin and Evans went down in the Buccaneers’ Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Godwin suffered a terrible looking injury and had to be carted off with less than a minute left in the game. A sprained ankle will likely end Godwin’s season.
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Evans was also forced out of the Ravens game after spraining his hamstring. Although not as serious as Godwin’s injury, Evans is expected to be out for the Buccaneers’ Week 11 game.
With Tampa Bay lacking a Pro Bowl, ninth-year veteran Sterling Shepard and rookie Jalen McMillan were expected to step up. Both are currently questionable with hamstring injuries. The Buccaneers selected McMillan in the third round of the 2024 draft out of Washington. He received some preseason hype, but had just 10 receptions for 109 yards and one touchdown in six games. If he can overcome his hamstring ailment and get on the field in Week 9, he should have an expanded role in the passing game.
While Tampa Bay is mostly dealing with injuries on offense, the defense also took a hit this week. Antoine Winfield Jr. was a late addition to the injury report as the All-Pro safety deals with a foot issue. He is questionable for the Week 9 game against the Chiefs.