New England Patriots - NESN.com
With the NFL trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the New England Patriots are officially turning their attention to their Week 10 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a 6-2 record, the Bucs figure to provide the Pats the sort of challenge they haven’t faced since they took down the Buffalo Bills in Week 5.
This is going to be a difficult game for New England. Tampa Bay will be playing in front of its home crowd at Raymond James Stadium, and the team is fresh off its bye week in Week 9, meaning they are well-rested for this big game.
There are some concerns for the Bucs as they enter this matchup, particularly in the injury department. The team was hoping that two of their offensive stars, running back Bucky Irving and wide receiver Chris Godwin, would be able to suit up for this game after taking some time off during the bye week, but it appears neither guy will practice on Wednesday.
“Chris Godwin, Bucky Irving are not expected to practice today but we will know officially at 11 am. Both are still in the rehab phase,” Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times shared in a post on X.
Irving has missed the past four games for the Bucs with foot and shoulder injuries, while Godwin has only suited up twice this season due to ankle and fibula injuries. If they can’t play this week, that would be a major blow for Tampa Bay’s offense.
It is worth noting that the Buccaneers have managed to make due this season, despite being without several key players on offense pretty much every week. If Irving can’t go, Rachaad White would be the team’s starting running back, while Emeka Egbuka would see heavy doses of Christian Gonzalez if Godwin can’t play.
New England has its own injury issues, as Gonzalez, Kayshon Boutte and Christian Elliss all left their Week 9 win early, which has thrown their Week 10 statuses up in the air. As a result, it will also be worth keeping tabs on who practices for them on Wednesday.
