Subscribe
Follow Us
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have made a miraculous comeback in the NFC South over the last month, in part because of a couple of very gritty wins and partly because a complete collapse by the Atlanta Falcons. Now, with just four games to play, the Buccaneers have the inside track to the division title and a home playoff game.
Despite their recent momentum, things got a little bit tougher for the Buccaneers on Monday. Star safety Antoine Winfield Jr. suffered a knee sprain during the Buccaneers' 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday and will be out for multiple weeks, according to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team.
Winfield's injury is a huge blow to a defense that has already been really struggling this season. He has been one of the lone bright spots on a unit that has given up some huge games to some of the league's top offenses. In nine games this season, Winfield has made 60 total tackles, recorded two sacks and broken up three passes.
More injury news is a bad sign for Winfield, who missed four games earlier this season due to a right ankle injury. Now, he will be forced to sit on the sidelines once again as the Buccaneers chase a playoff spot.
Fortunately for the Buccaneers, they do get some relief in the schedule department down the stretch here. After a comfortable, if inconsistent, win over the Raiders, Tampa Bay will take on the Chargers on Sunday before games against the Cowboys, Panthers and Saints to close the season. Three wins out of those final four games would get Todd Bowles and company to 10-7 on the season.
If the Buccaneers do get to 10 wins, the Falcons would need to win their final four games in order to steal the division. Atlanta's schedule is also pretty light, but it does have a tough date with the Washington Commanders sandwiched in between games against the Raiders, Giants and Panthers. Atlanta has also lost four in a row and Kirk Cousins has zero touchdowns and eight interceptions in that span, so they need to right the ship quickly.
If the Buccaneers can hold on without Winfield, he should be able to return for the playoffs which would make the Buccaneers a dangerous opponent for just about anyone.
