Buccaneers rule out Cade Otton, Antoine Winfield Jr. for huge Panthers matchup
12/27/2024 01:09 PM
As the Tampa Bay Buccaneers battle for their playoff lives, they cannot afford to lose to the Carolina Panthers in Week 18. However, earning a victory will be much more difficult without Cade Otton and Antoine Winfield Jr.
Both have been ruled out for the matchup, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. The tight end and safety are both battling knee injuries.
Otton picked up his ailment coming out of Week 15. He didn’t play in Week 16 and has yet to make his return ever since. With Chris Godwin and Mike Evans’ injuries, Otton stepped up, catching a career-high 59 passes for a career-best 600 yards and four touchdowns. Evans’ return has cut into Otton’s output, however, he is still a valued member of Tampa Bay’s offense.
In his absence, the Buccaneers will likely turn to rookie Jalen McMillian. The rookie has been everything Tampa Bay could’ve hoped for and more, catching 27 passes for 336 yards and five touchdowns. He has a touchdown grab in three straight games and will now only be featured further in the offense.
As for Winfield, this isn’t the first time the safety has dealt with injuries this season. This time around, he has been out since Week 14 after spraining his knee. Tampa Bay has learned to live without Winfield, as he is going on his third-straight absence, but the black hole left in the Buccaneers’ secondary isn’t any less gaping.
In the nine games he has played in this year, Winfield has made 60 tackles, three passes defended and even returned a fumble for a touchdown. Furthermore, he has earned an elite 79.5 pass rush grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking eighth out of 165 safeties.
Both Cade Otton and Antoine Winfield Jr will be massive losses for the Buccaneers, but they need to find a way to power through. Their road to the playoffs got much murkier following Tampa Bay’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys.
But it all starts with beating the Panthers. While they’ll have a built in excuse missing Otton and Winfield, let alone Godwin and others, a loss would unforgivably end the Buccaneers’ season.
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