Bucs have 'heavy hearts' after losing Chris Godwin for the season

TAMPA, Fla. — The game was all but lost, and now the Bucs’ season has taken an unsteady step in that direction, too.

Receiver Mike Evans had left Monday night’s game before halftime after aggravating a right hamstring injury attempting to catch a pass in the end zone in the first half.

A bigger tragedy awaited Chris Godwin.

The Bucs trailed the Ravens 41-31 with zero timeouts and under two minutes to play.

Quarterback Baker Mayfield completed a 21-yard pass to Godwin, whose left ankle got pinned under Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith.

Godwin sustained a season-ending dislocation of his ankle, coach Todd Bowles said after the game.

“It absolutely sucks,” Mayfield said. “Yeah, it sucks for our team, but Chris deserves better than that. He’s an unbelievable guy, an unbelievable teammate. You guys have seen he’s been playing extraordinary this year. Yeah, I’ve got a heavy heart right now.”

Godwin entered the week leading the NFL with 43 receptions for 511 yards and five touchdowns.

On Monday night, he caught seven for 65 yards and the 21-yarder was his longest of the game. Now he’s done and his $20.5 million contract expires in March.

A heartbreaking scene unfolded as the Bucs gathered around their fallen receiver before he was carted off the field, a huge part of their offense rolling away with him.

Mayfield leaned over the golf cart and cradled Godwin’s head in his right arm.

Less than three years ago, Godwin tore three knee ligaments in his right knee but had battled back to post consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Now this.

It’s fair to question why Godwin was still in the game.

The Ravens had pulled quarterback Lamar Jackson, who passed for 281 yards and five touchdowns, and replaced him with journeyman veteran Josh Johnson late in the fourth quarter.

The chances of scoring, recovering a second onside kick and scoring again with no timeouts were remote at best.

“He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ballgame,” Bowles said. “We’re still down 10. We’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick and it just happened. With Mike (Evans) going down, we didn’t have many receivers left as it was so we had to play with what we’ve got.

“You can say that because he got hurt. We don’t second guess. We’ve got our guys, we’re playing everybody we’ve got.”

The Bucs (4-3) now face the prospect of playing a critical game Sunday against the Falcons at Raymond James Stadium for first place in the NFC South without Evans or Godwin.

In fact, general manager Jason Licht may be busy trying to find another veteran receiver before the NFL trade deadline Nov. 5.

The Bucs came out fast Monday and led 10-0 after only two possessions.

Mayfield threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Evans to cap the first drive, which turned out to be his only catch of the night and the 100th TD reception of his career.

With the Bucs leading 10-7, Evans dropped a pass in the end zone, grabbing his injured right hamstring. He was forced to leave the game and limped straight to the locker room.

Three plays later, Mayfield was intercepted in the end zone by Ravens defensive back Marlon Humphrey.

The Ravens needed only four plays to go 80 yards, capped by Jackson’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Justice Hill. It was a 14-point swing that gave the Ravens their first lead of the game at 14-10.

Mayfield was intercepted again by Humphrey before the first half ended, leading to Justin Tucker’s 28-yard field goal and a 17-10 Ravens lead.

“Yeah, the wind kind of got taken out of our sails at that point,” Mayfield said. “Anytime you’re in the red zone and you turn it over, obviously you can’t do that. Marlon Humphrey made a good play falling off of it but I’ve got to be careful with it down there knowing we already have points. … It was a big swing in the game.”

Jackson was terrific, passing for 281 yards and five touchdowns, matching his career high. The Bucs bottled up running back Derrick Henry for a while, but he finished with 169 yards on 15 carries, including an 81-yard run.

Evans’ injury could be a significant one as he is expected to miss multiple games during the toughest stretch of the Bucs’ schedule.

They host Atlanta on Sunday then play at Kansas City on Nov. 4 and are home against the 49ers on Nov. 10.

Bowles was asked if he had a responsibility to try and protect his best players in late-game situations.

“I do protect my players all the time,” Bowles said. “That has nothing to do with why we left (Godwin) in the ballgame. We still have a chance to score 10 points and win the ballgame. It happens.

“Our prayers are out for him. Chris is a hell of a player and a hell of a human being even more so than that. There’s not much you can say. We feel bad for him and unfortunately they’re not going to cancel the games. We’ve got to step up and move forward but our hearts are heavy. He was having a hell of a season. It’s unfortunate.”