Chris Godwin (ankle) and Mike Evans (hamstring) were injured in the Bucs’ loss

TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost both of their star receivers – Mike Evans and Chris Godwin – in a 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on “Monday Night Football,” with Godwin suffering what coach Todd Bowles said was a dislocated left ankle. Evans suffered a right hamstring injury.

The Bulls said they were waiting for more details on Evans but that “it (isn’t) looking good” for Godwin, who was greeted in the training room by several teammates after the game.

“Our prayers are for him,” Bowles said of Godwin. “Chris is a hell of a player and a hell of a person. There’s not much you can say. You feel bad for him, and unfortunately, they’re not canceling the games. We have to move on and move on. But our hearts are heavy.”

With 1:04 left in regulation, Godwin caught a pass from Mayfield and was tackled from behind by inside linebacker Roquan Smith, and Godwin’s left ankle appeared to get caught under Smith.

Several teammates were visibly shaken as Godwin remained on his knees and was quickly attended to by the coaching staff. Quarterback Baker Mayfield turned away, knelt down and put his head in his hands.

“This is too bad,” Mayfield said. “Yes, it’s bad for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy. An unbelievable teammate. Obviously you guys have seen – he’s played exceptional this year. His heart is heavy right now.”

The Pirate bench was completely cleaned and assembled while Goodwin was helped onto the injury cart, with chants of “Godwin! Godwin!” It broke out with a standing ovation.

Godwin and Evans were tied for five touchdowns each through the first six weeks of the season before this game, with Mayfield calling them “the big heartbeat of this team.”

Bowles defended keeping Godwin and other key players in the game despite it being out of reach with two onside kicks already attempted and no timeouts left, saying, “We’re not guessing,” citing the fact that the team was already without Evans.

“I protect my players all the time,” Bowles said. “This has nothing to do with why we left him in this game. We still have a chance to score some points and win this game. It happens. It happens in football.”

Mayfield had no objection to staying in the game.

“We talked about it on the sideline, and we thought, if we get a rushing touchdown — obviously we got an onside kick during the game — we get a rushing touchdown, an onside kick, we have the possibility of a Hail Mary.” He said. “We’ve got a bunch of fighters. We all wanted a chance to try to win this thing any way, somehow, somehow.”

Evans entered the game with a hamstring strain but was determined to play. He caught a 25-yard touchdown pass from Baker Mayfield on the opening drive, making him the 11th player in NFL history to reach 100 touchdowns.

But in the second quarter, Mayfield tried to find Evans in the end zone on a 25-yard touchdown pass against Brandon Stevens, and Evans couldn’t hold on to the pass. Evans fell to the ground and grabbed the back of his leg, writhing in pain.

Evans remained on the field for several seconds as coaches and teammates gathered around him. He was able to walk off the field with Bucs Vice President of Sports Medicine and Performance Bobby Slater but was limping noticeably as he entered the tunnel to a standing ovation.

“This is too bad. Yes, it’s bad for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy. An unbelievable teammate. Obviously you guys have seen – he’s played exceptional this year. His heart is heavy right now.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield announced Chris Godwin’s injury

Evans missed two days of practice this week with the injury, which coach Todd Bowles described earlier in the week as a long-term injury versus an acute one. The wide receiver was able to practice Friday in a limited capacity and bore no sign of injury prior to Monday night’s game, where he was honored with a message on the video board commemorating his first-quarter scoring feat.

Evans and Godwin sit first and second for the Bucs in all-time receiving yards. Evans was hoping to tie Jerry Rice this season for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons after recording 10 in his first 10 carries. To this point, Evans has missed only nine regular season games, including only seven due to injury or illness.

But for Godwin, this is the second major career-threatening injury, after tearing his ACL and MCL in Week 15 of the 2021 season. Godwin said he finally felt like his old self this summer, and many of his teammates and coaches took notice. also.

“I’m tired of it,” tight end Cade Otton said of his injured teammates. “We’re talking about great men, great leaders and great players. It sucks. It’s the terrible part of this job, but we have to come together for them and play better and win games and keep going like they do.”

As outside linebacker Yaya Diaby said of Godwin, “He’s having a great year, and for a guy like that…we need him in this offense. And then for Mike – we need him too. You know, I don’t know what the story is, but hopefully To recover.”

The 4-3 Bucs must now face the biggest hurdle in their division this weekend when they host the Atlanta Falcons (also 4-3) in a Week 5 overtime rematch of Tampa Bay.

“It’s bad,” Mayfield said. “We’ll be thinking about Chris and Mike for a while here, but we’ll move forward. This group has to be flexible. We’ll have to get the players to step up. That’s the way it is. There’s nothing else.” “We’re going to have to look this thing in the face and face it head-on.”