Todd Bowles: Buccaneers' star 'appears' to have suffered major injury
Tampa Bay came up short during its loss to Baltimore on Thursday night. The Buccaneers got off to a 10-3 lead - scoring their first opening drive touchdown of the season - before being outscored 24-12 over the final three quarters. The loss marked the third straight for the franchise and the fifth defeat in the past six games.
Can it get any worse for the Buccaneers at this point? Yeah, misery loves company.
Tampa Bay entered the night with a plethora of defensive contributors out of the lineup including defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, cornerback Carlton Davis, cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, safety Logan Ryan, and safety Antoine Winfield Jr.
It appears that the Buccaneers will be missing another defensive star for an extended period of time. Head coach Todd Bowles stated that standout pass-rusher, Shaq Barrett, suffered an Achilles injury during the loss and that it doesn't look good.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported that the initial exam noted a potential torn Achilles which is a major injury that would end Barrett's season. He was injured in the third quarter and was helped off the field while putting no weight on his left leg. Barrett was ultimately carted off to the locker room.
Prior to going down, he was instrumental in Tampa Bay's first-half success against Baltimore. Barrett recorded 4 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, and a sack that gave the Buccaneers momentum in the second quarter. He was replaced by outside linebacker Anthony Nelson.
On the season, Barrett has totaled 31 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks. This would be a critical loss for a Tampa Bay defense that has struggled mightily to get off the field over the past three games.
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