The absence of Chris Godwin from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers roster this Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons It’s not by choice. The star receiver is out with a dislocated left ankle, a late injury. Tampa’s recent loss to the Baltimore Ravens. In the last minute of regulation, Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith executed a hip tackle, a now-controversial maneuver that the NFL banned in March due to its high injury risk. While Smith escaped a penalty on the play, he will receive a fine of $16,833 – although he can still appeal the league’s decision.

The severity of Godwin’s injury became clear after surgery Wednesday, which is expected to sideline him for the remainder of the 2024 regular season at least. Godwin, who leads the NFL with 50 catches this year, took to social mediaexpressing a bittersweet acceptance of his situation: “Adversity reveals our true character,” he wrote, vowing to persevere.

Will Roquan Smith’s fine deter hip tackles?

Hip-drop tacklesbanned due to their potential to cause serious lower-body injuries, continue to make their mark on the field despite league-wide efforts to limit them.

In a post-match statement, Smith expressed sympathy for Godwin, calling him a “good family man” and stating that he would never intentionally harm another player.

His fine, while easy for these multimillionaires to pay, serves as a continuing and important reminder that certain tackles, even unintentional, can have serious consequences.

How long has Mike Evans been out?

The Bucs’ injuries don’t stop at Godwin. His compatriot Mike Evans, sidelined with an aggravated hamstring injury, is not expected to play this Sunday and could miss three more games before Tampa’s bye week.

The injury first flared in Week 7 against Baltimore when Evans attempted a catch in the end zone. Visibly in pain, he left before halftime, leaving Tampa’s offense even more weakened.