In the two-year run of dominance that Kirby Smart and this Georgia football team have delivered, culminating in back-to-back National Championships, the Bulldogs have never been without superstar tight end Brock Bowers. He has started every game for Georgia since the start of the 2021 season, and he has been nothing but elite. Now, however, Bowers will miss extended time after undergoing surgery to address a high-ankle sprain. He will likely miss something like four to six weeks. What does the Brock Bowers injury mean for Georgia football as the Bulldogs fight to return to the College Football Playoff in 2023?

 

Upcoming Schedule

Georgia has a bye this week, which turns out to be great timing. Now Kirby Smart and offensive coordinator Mike Bobo get some extra time to figure out what the offense looks like without Bowers. Smart already said after the Ball State game in Week 2, a game in which Bowers had just one catch, that the Bulldogs were intentionally trying to balance out the offense to depend less on their stud tight end.

After the bye, Georgia faces 5-2 Florida, who has turned around its season after a brutal opening loss to Utah. From a sheer talent perspective, Georgia shouldn't struggle too much to beat Florida, or any of the teams on its regular season schedule for that matter. That being said, Georgia's remaining schedule looks considerably more difficult than preseason projections indicated.

After the Florida game, Georgia hosts No. 20 Missouri and No. 13 Ole Miss. Then the Bulldogs travel to Knoxville to face No. 17 Tennessee. Again, Georgia is so good, they can win these games without Bowers. However, the path to the SEC Championship Game just looks a bit more difficult now, especially considering Georgia hasn't always looked as dominant this year as they have in the previous two.

 

Who will step up?

Bowers is Georgia's best offensive player, and he was even a Heisman contender until this injury, which is ridiculous for a tight end. Through seven games, he leads the Bulldogs with 41 catches, 567 yards and four touchdowns. That's about a quarter of Georgia's total receiving yardage production so far.

Sophomore Oscar Delp is the next-man-up at tight end. He has 13 catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns so far. Kirby Smart may also turn to freshman Lawson Luckie, who had the same ankle surgery as Bowers back in August.

As for the other pass catchers, Missouri transfer Dominic Lovett has the most receptions with 31. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint has the second-most yards on the team with 333 and two touchdowns. Ladd McConkey should be a big part of this offense if he can get healthy, but he has struggled with a back issue this year.

Smart's best option, however, is to turn to what his team does best: running the football. Daijun Edwards has 460 yards and six touchdowns on 80 carries this year. Expect him to have a big game against Florida, who Utah ran all over in Week 1. Georgia is still bigger, stronger and more physical than basically any team in the country. The Bulldogs need to lean into that identity they've dominated with during this spectacular run.

 

Projection

The Bulldogs are still in full control of their own destiny (duh, they're undefeated). The only other SEC East teams with less than two losses are Florida, Missouri and Tennessee. Georgia football gets a chance to hand each of those teams a second loss. Even if the Bulldogs lose one of these games, it's still very likely they can book a trip to the SEC Championship Game. Then, it's likely they will have to beat Alabama to earn a College Football Playoff bid. Depending on what happens in the other major conferences, Georgia could potentially go 12-0 and then lose the conference championship, but still make the College Football Playoff.

As for Brock Bowers' eventual return, it will probably be on the longer end of the estimated timeline. The team did not actually give an official return timeline. However, high ankle sprains usually sideline players for at least a few weeks. The fact that Bowers had surgery indicates he could be out for longer. It wouldn't be surprising if he missed the rest of the regular season, but Georgia needs him back for the SEC Championship Game to help push for a third straight National Championship.

Until then, the Bulldogs should be fine is Bowers' absence. During this dynasty, this team has never been about singular playmakers or a high-volume passing game. Georgia still has all the tools to grind down opponents and win the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. That alone puts the Bulldogs in a great position to succeed against any opponent. They're back-to-back champions and the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason.