If there’s a play that defines the 2025 Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ entire ethos, it came with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills. Down 7-3, facing a fourth-and-inches on the Buffalo 4-yard line, Baker Mayfield took the snap, spent about a quarter of a second sizing up receivers, then tucked the ball and began to run for the end zone. Mayfield hurdled Buffalo’s Cole Bishop, broke the plane of the goal line …
… and promptly landed right on his neck.
He was fine — or as close to “fine” as a battered soul like Mayfield can get at this point in his career — and the Bucs took the lead in what would be a back-and-forth game they would ultimately lose.
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Tampa Bay simply does not give up, not on a play, a game or a season, and it’s why the Bucs have won the last four NFC South titles and are on track for a fifth. But the cost of that style is becoming apparent … as is the Buccaneers’ willingness to fight through an avalanche of injuries that would have derailed most other teams in the league.
Consider, for instance, the plight of receiver Mike Evans. One of the most reliable receivers in the game — he has an active-but-about-to-end streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons — he’s already suffered a hamstring injury, a concussion and a broken clavicle that will keep him out until late in the season.
Then there’s fellow receiver Chris Godwin, who missed the first few games of the season from 2024’s lingering ankle fracture, then promptly injured his fibula in Week 5 and has been out ever since. Running back Bucky Irving has been out since Week 5 with injuries to his ankle and shoulder. Earlier this week, Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said both would be getting “worked in” this week during practice before making a determination on their availability.
Mike Evans is helped off the field after an injury during the first half against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Oct. 20, 2025. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
(Nic Antaya via Getty Images)
“They’ll get worked in more, get more reps, and then we’ll kind of evaluate them as the week goes on,” Bowles said. “But they’ll definitely get worked in.”
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The beat goes on — left tackle Tristan Wirfs missed games early in the season recovering from knee surgery. Season-ending injuries have bitten defensive tackle Calijah Kancey and guard Cody Mauch, among others. Injuries are a painful part of life in the NFL, but Tampa Bay seems to have drawn some of the worst cards in the league this year, all season long.
“It’s concerning,” Bowles said in September. “I mean, we’re running out of bodies, but we’ll find somebody to play.”
On the plus side, Next Man Up is real, and in Tampa Bay’s case, the next man has stepped up. Rookie Emeka Egbuka is already one of the league’s better receivers; his 15.9 yards per catch rank seventh in the league. And Mayfield seems like he’s capable of shaking off everything short of an airstrike.
Still, it’s worth noting Tampa Bay has now lost three of its last four, and all three of those losses are to playoff-caliber teams — the Lions, Patriots and Bills. That gaudy 5-1 start came at the expense of a trio of field-fillers — Atlanta, Houston and the Jets — and a couple of question marks in San Francisco and Seattle.
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The good news for Tampa Bay — and it’s very good news indeed — is that after Sunday and the Rams, the schedule widens, smooths out and slopes gently down into the postseason. Look at this run of opponents: Arizona, New Orleans, Atlanta, Carolina (twice), Miami. With the exception of Carolina, who might have a little more juice than expected, that’s a manageable run of teams that won’t be threatening for the playoffs this year.
Tampa Bay just needs to hold it together until some combination of Godwin, Irving, Evans and others can return, and the Bucs ought to be able to slide into the playoffs. After that, they’ll have an entire offseason to recover from whatever injuries they suffer … or inflict on themselves.