Buccaneers' Todd Bowles defends, explains decision to play Chris Godwin late vs. Ravens

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost star wide receiver Chris Godwin to a likely season-ending ankle injury in the final minute of their 41-31 Week 7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle with 59 seconds left in the game after being tackled short of midfield by Roquan Smith. The veteran receiver was unable to get up and had to be carted off in an air cast after the injury while ESPN's broadcast declined to show a replay of the gruesome injury.

Tampa Bay had trailed by as many as 24 points in the fourth quarter and had an estimated win probability of just 0.1 percent at the time of Godwin's injury, per ESPN Analytics. That led many to wonder why the Buccaneers had left the receiver in the contest.

Todd Bowles defended his decision to keep Godwin and his starters on the field during a postgame news conference despite a victory being highly improbable.

"He's a player," Bowles told reporters, referencing Godwin. "We're trying to win the ballgame. We were still down 10. We're trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick. [The injury] just happened."

NFL POWER RANKINGS WEEK 8: Bucs, Vikings slip in reshuffled NFC picture

Bowles also explained that the decision was partly related to the personnel Tampa Bay had available late in the contest. The Buccaneers had just four healthy receivers on the roster after Mike Evans was knocked out by a first-quarter hamstring injury.

"With Mike going down, we didn't have that many receivers left as it was," Bowles said. "So, we play what we got."

But couldn't a case be made that Evans' injury and the team's lack of receiver depth would give Bowles more incentive to preserve Godwin for the Buccaneers' critical Week 8 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons as a victory became increasingly unlikely?

"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."

NFL WEEK 7: 32 things we learned, including big statements from top contenders

Bowles bristled at the notion that he had failed to protect Godwin by leaving him on the field for the team's one-minute drill.

"I do protect my players all the time," Bowles said. "That has nothing to do with why we left him in the ballgame. We still had a shot to score some points and win the ballgame. It happens. It happens in football."

The injury couldn't have happened at worse time for all parties. The Buccaneers are preparing for a key Week 8 matchup against the Falcons that will determine which team controls its own destiny in the NFC South early in the season.

Meanwhile, Godwin was in the midst of a career-best season and ranked second in the NFL with 576 receiving yards through seven weeks. He was slated to be a free agent after the 2024 NFL season and the 28-year-old would have had a robust market.

Instead, he will move onto another lengthy rehab, while the Buccaneers face the rest of the season without him.

"Our prayers go out to him," Bowles said of Godwin. "Chris is a hell of a player and a hell of a human being. Not much you can say. You feel bad for him, and unfortunately, they're not going to cancel the games.

"We got to step up and move on. But our hearts are heavy."

All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chris Godwin injury: Todd Bowles defends playing WR late vs. Ravens