Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles defended his decision to keep Chris Godwin in the game while Tampa’s chances of winning were slim, which led to a potentially season-ending injury late in the Bucs’ 41-31 loss to the Ravens.
Godwin dislocated his ankle with less than a minute left in the game when he was tackled by Roquan Smith and had to be carted off the field.
Godwin will have surgery on the ankle this week, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
The serious injury was the second that a Buccaneers receiver suffered during the course of the game on Monday, with Mike Evans also exiting early due to a hamstring issue that occurred late in the first half.
“He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ballgame,” Bowles said about the decision to keep Godwin in the game. “We were still down 10. We’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick. [The injury] just happened.”
Bowles refused to second-guess the decision and called it “unfortunate” that Godwin ended up getting hurt.
“You can say that because he got hurt. We don’t second-guess,” Bowles said. “We’ve got our guys. We’re playing everybody we’ve got. It’s unfortunate he got hurt, but he’s a football player and he wants to be in the game, just like Baker [Mayfield] and everybody else wanted to be in the game.”
The Bucs head coach pushed back on the idea that he didn’t protect Godwin and that they viewed the situation as one in which they thought they could find a way to win.
“We still had a shot to score some points and win the ballgame. It happens. It happens in football,” he said.
Tampa moved to 4-3 on the season and has the same record as NFC South rivals the Falcons headed into a crucial showdown with Atlanta this upcoming weekend.