TAMPA BAY, Fla. — Chris Godwin is set to have surgery soon on his dislocated left ankle, and Mike Evans (hamstring strain) is not expected back until after the bye week.

The Bucs’ two premier producers in the passing game vanished in Monday’s 41-31 loss to the Ravens, so where can the team uncover enough weapons to remain in the hunt for the NFC South title?

“Running back room, tight end room and the rest of our receivers,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “Everybody has to step up. Obviously, those two guys are a huge part of our production on offense, and we’re going to have a lot of guys step up and find a way to do this. It’ll be interesting and exciting to see how we get creative with this thing, understanding a lot of our passing game runs through those two guys.”

The Bucs host the Falcons Sunday in a critical division game, having lost 36-30 in overtime Oct. 3 in Atlanta.

But unless Mark Carrier and Kevin House have some routes left in their legs when the Bucs put on their throwback creamsicle uniforms, they may have to consider trading for a receiver before the Nov. 5 deadline.

Let’s consider the in-house moves first.

Bucs must become a run-first team

It sounds crazy, considering Tampa Bay had the league’s worst rushing offense in 2022-23. But offensive coordinator Liam Coen needs to lean even harder on his stable of running backs, that “three-headed monster” of Rachaad White, Bucky Irving and Sean Tucker.

With White inactive Oct. 13 in New Orleans due to a foot injury, Tucker rushed 14 times for 136 yards and a touchdown, and caught three passes for 56 yards and another score. Irving added 81 yards and a TD on 14 carries and caught two passes for 24 yards.

“Buck and Tuck” produced 297 yards of total offense and helped hang 51 points on the Saints.

Monday, against the league’s best rushing defense, the Bucs rushed 30 times for 125 yards, a 4.2-yard average. Here’s how it broke down:

— White: 10 rushes for 40 yards (4.0 ypc); 6 catches for 71 yards, 2 TDs

— Tucker: 5-29 rushing (5.8 ypc), 1-9 receiving

— Irving: 9-23 rushing (2.6 ypc); 3-54, TD receiving

That means the three backs combined for 226 of the team’s 481 total yards.

The Bucs may even have to deploy more of their pistol formation with two running backs on the field at the same time.

Whatever it takes. The best remaining playmakers for the Bucs are all backs.

A new pass catcher must step up

The Bucs already were too reliant on Evans and Godwin for their passing game.

New targets must mature quickly, such as third-round pick Jalen McMillan and 2023 sixth-round pick Trey Palmer. Both have missed games with injuries, and on Monday neither was really a factor.

McMillan had three catches for 15 yards on eight targets. He also rushed once for 11 yards and a first down. Palmer had one catch for 16 yards on three targets. Maybe the heightened roles will increase their reps at practice and will translate into the games.

The Bucs also have an old hat in Sterling Shepard, 31, who has eight catches for 93 yards and a touchdown this season.

One player who made some contested catches Monday was tight end Cade Otton. He led the team with 8 catches for 100 yards, including a 28-yarder. He also absorbed some big hits from the Ravens defense.

“I feel like it’s just next man up,” said outside linebacker Yaya Diaby. “For the younger guys, like ‘J-Mac’ (McMillan), he just has to step up, and we still have ‘Shep’ (Shepard). It’s just a next-guy mentality.”

Otton agreed. The Bucs also got their first look at tight end Devin Culp, the rookie from Washington, who was limited to special teams.

Trade for a receiver before the deadline

The Bucs still have a decent shot at winning the division, especially if they can beat Atlanta.

They can attempt to trade for another veteran receiver before the Nov. 5 deadline. In the past week, we’ve seen the Raiders trade Davante Adams to the Jets and Amari Cooper go from the Cowboys to the Bills.

Of course, the Bucs probably would prefer to go with their young guys until Evans returns, but there are a handful of receivers that could be on the move:

— DeAndre Hopkins, Titans: Hopkins is 32 and not the high-volume pass catcher he once was. He has 15 receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown playing with struggling quarterback Will Levis. He can become a free agent in the spring, so he probably is done with Tennessee either way. There are other possible suitors, like the Saints, but they’re circling the drain at 2-5 and quarterback Derek Carr is injured.

— Mike Williams, Jets: Aaron Rodgers kicked Williams to the curb when he got New York to deal for Adams. Williams has only 11 receptions for 160 yards and no touchdowns in seven games. But he’s 30 and not worth his $10 million salary. The Jets may be willing to eat some of it.

— Diontae Johnson, Panthers: There will be come competition for Johnson, 28, possibly from the Chiefs. He leads Carolina with 30 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns. It’s rare to trade within the division, but Panthers coach Dave Canales could help his old boss out.

— Cooper Kupp, Rams: Multiple reports say the team is open to trading him. He will make $15 million this season with about $10 million remaining at the trade deadline. Los Angeles may agree to pay some of it. Reportedly, they are seeking a second-round pick, which seems pretty high. But he would know the system Coen from the Rams.

Of all these suggestions, the only real fix is short-term, and that’s for the young Bucs running backs, receivers and tight ends to produce more when called upon. Mayfield and Coen also have to be content with a grind-it-out game plan to help the defense until at least Evans returns.

“We have a ton of guys who will do that,” Otton said. “I know everyone in this locker room has the character to come together and collectively raise our game for guys who have gone down, so I know we’ll do that. We’ll practice and watch film and do everything we usually do. Just trust our process and get better, and our coaches will put a great game plan together and we just need to execute like we should.”

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