Fournette, Evans, Godwin suffer injuries in shutout loss to Saints
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered an embarrassing shutout defeat Sunday night against the New Orleans Saints, but the loss could have a more important long-term impact for the reigning champions.
Wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin and running back Leonard Fournette exited with injuries and were unable to return. Evans and Fournette suffered hamstring injuries, while Godwin has a knee injury.
Godwin took a shot to the knee and landed awkwardly on his head at the start of the second quarter. Trainers attended to him while he was on the ground before he limped off the field under his own power.
Here is the Chris Godwin injury. pic.twitter.com/gvovpuEU9i
— Evan Closky (@ECloskyWTSP) December 20, 2021
Evans appeared to hurt his hamstring while making a 14-yard catch over the middle of the field several minutes later.
Meanwhile, the team ruled Fournette out midway through the third quarter shortly after he went to the locker room.
The Bucs believe Godwin avoided a major injury, receiving an early diagnosis of a sprained MCL, a source told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. Godwin reportedly will miss some time and will undergo an MRI to determine his timetable.
Tampa Bay's offense put together its worst performance of the season. Tom Brady threw one interception, lost a fumble, averaged just 3.5 yards per attempt, and took four sacks.