The questions for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers came early in the week as they prepared to face the high-flying Patriots. And they were answered negatively. The Buccaneers ruled out three key players for their Week 10 game, according to a post on X by Ari Meirov.
“The #Bucs have ruled out RB Bucky Irving (foot, shoulder), WR Chris Godwin (fibula), and OLB Haason Reddick (ankle/knee) for Sunday vs. the Patriots.”
It’s a showdown in Tampa as the Buccaneers enter with a record of 6-2. The Patriots rumble in with a mark of 7-2.
Buccaneers will be shorthanded against Patriots
The Buccaneers held out hope that Godwin and Irving would be able to return for the big interleague game. But Baker Mayfield said the Buccaneers will have to lean on young guys, according to PewterReport.com.
“I think we have already shown that,” Mayfield said about other players stepping up. “With all the guys that have come in there and stepped up in a big way, some of the young guys or vets that have stepped up for us. Guys have shown it is a resilient group. And that they are able to handle whatever we throw at them, in whatever we have installed. [Have] to keep going, and at this point, real football starts. And we have a really, really good opponent coming out here.”
Mayfield and his teammates are coming off their bye, which he said helped everybody.
“It definitely helps getting rest,” Mayfield said. “[I was] still moving my body around a little bit. Not letting yourself get too sore. But then also just the non-contact definitely helps.”
Mayfield will be the focal point of the Patriots’ defense, according to patriots.com.
“Mayfield's built an impressive resume of late-game heroics, and New England cannot allow him to will his team to victory in the fourth quarter,” Mike Dussault wrote. “Tampa's offense ranks just 20th in DVOA, but the Patriots can still expect a 60-minute game against a team with plenty of vets on both sides of the ball who know how to win.
“New England's zone-heavy approach to coverage has worked fairly well in recent weeks against younger quarterbacks, but Mayfield is a different beast. A heavier dose of man coverage could be on the menu for New England's defense this week.”
