Buccaneers lose key pieces in loss to Baltimore
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers fell to the Baltimore Ravens 41-31 Monday night. To add fuel to the fire, they lost star receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to potentially significant injuries.
Tampa Bay stormed out to a 10 point lead and was taking their third possession in Baltimore territory. The entire game changed when Mike Evans, looking to score for the second time already, couldn’t hold onto the ball, staying down due to a hamstring injury. Shortly after, Baker Mayfield threw a redzone interception. The Ravens proceeded to score 27 straight points from that moment on. Later on in the game with about one minute left, Godwin sustained a gruesome dislocated ankle as the Bucs tried to rally back.
Absolutely brutal game to watch if you’re a Bucs fan, as the score made it seem closer than the game was actually played. Derrick Henry, the NFL's leading rusher, broke off runs of 81 and 39 yards in the second half and finished with 169 yards on 15 carries. Quarterback Lamar Jackson also ran for 52 yards, a sidenote on an evening in which he completed 17 of 22 passes for 281 yards and five touchdowns, without an interception. Baltimore generated 508 yards of offense in a game that had two of the league's top four scoring squads.
The Buccaneers drop to 4-3 to a first-place tie in the NFC South with the Atlanta Falcons. The Ravens stay on the road, traveling to Cleveland for their second AFC North game of the season.