In Defense Of Todd Bowles Leaving Chris Godwin In the Game
Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Thanks to Monday Night Football, Monday morning quarterbacks in Tampa got a three-day weekend. But once Tuesday rolled around, they made up for the day off. In fairness, you totally get why they’d be upset. The Buccaneers missed a shot to pass the Atlanta Falcons for control of the NFC South in a 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. It’s fine to be a bit testy.
And testy, they were after Chris Godwin suffered a likely season-ending ankle injury with less than a minute to go last night. Fans immediately hopped on Twitter to criticize the decision to leave Godwin in the game.
Chris Godwin just broke his ankle down 10 with 40 seconds left .. why are the starters even in the game pic.twitter.com/BgpsJ0YpoE
— John (@iam_johnw) October 22, 2024
todd bowles killing chris godwin in garbage time minutes pic.twitter.com/T6Atj05mRf
— chappie (depressed steelers fan) (@TrentJordanFan) October 22, 2024
Godwin’s injury is a devastating blow for an offense that already saw Mike Evans aggravate his hamstring injury two quarters prior. It also appeared to be a result of Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith implementing a hip drop tackle, which was outlawed by the NFL prior to the 2024 season.
Despite the injury and the Monday morning quarterbacks who were hutt-hutt-hiking all over social media, head coach Todd Bowles staunchly defended his decision to leave him in the game.
“You can say that because he got hurt.” Bowles said. “We don’t second-guess. 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.”
Tampa still feasibly had a chance to win, albeit a small one. The Bucs were going up against a soft Baltimore pass defense, and with Evans out, Godwin was their only path to victory. Godwin, who currently leads the NFL in receptions and is second in yards, gave Tampa Bay its best chance to pull off a miracle. Despite his injury, Bowles never had any interest in throwing in the towel, especially after they already converted an onside kick in the fourth quarter.
“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.”
Bowles emphasized to the press that his starters wanted to fight to the whistle and do whatever it took to mount the comeback.
“We’re playing everybody we’ve got,” Bowles said. “It’s unfortunate he got hurt, but he’s a football player and he wants to be in the game, just like Baker and everybody else wanted to be in the game.”
ESPN’s Ryan Clark adamantly came to Todd Bowles’ defense after the game on ESPN’s SportsCenter.
The fact that a reporter treated Todd Bowles as if he had set Chris Godwin up for injury was a ridiculous line of questioning. This isn’t little league where you pull your guys so other people can play for their parents to take pics.
Players and coaches practice all week for 60… pic.twitter.com/xgvU6luSoS
— Ryan Clark (@Realrclark25) October 22, 2024
Taking starters out of the game is a common practice in blowouts, and coaches have caught criticism post-injury for not doing exactly that. Last season, Miami head coach Mike McDaniel caught heavy criticism after Bradley Chubb tore his ACL with just over three minutes to go in the fourth quarter while the Dolphins were losing by 30.
But a 30-point deficit with three minutes left isn’t the same as a 10-point game with a minute left. How many fans would have been satisfied if Bowles simply threw up the white flag with a minute left? Or didn’t try mounting the comeback with an onside kick to begin with?
Injuries are merely an unfortunate part of the game, and players are competitors who want to play all four quarters and are cognizant of the risks of playing in the NFL. Bowles is not to blame for Godwin’s injury; rather, the star receiver’s dislocated ankle can be blamed on plain old hard luck (and a hip drop tackle).
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