Buccaneers lose Antoine Winfield Jr. to concerning injury in SNF vs. Bears
· Yahoo Sports
Credit: Talia Sprague-Imagn Images
Buccaneers lose Antoine Winfield Jr. to concerning injury in SNF vs. Bears appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coach Todd Bowles’ Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field with eyes on inching closer to the .500 mark on a day when an NFL broadcasting legend’s health became an issue. Emeka Egbuka’s injury status became a hot topic before the game while Antoine Winfield Jr.’s became one later on in the evening.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
Bears reporter Dan Wiederer of The Athletic broke the news that the Buccaneers’ star cornerback, Winfield Jr., suffered an ankle injury and was expected to miss the remainder of the game.
Winfield Jr. was third on the Bucs with four tackles before the injury occurred, causing Bowles to get creative with his defensive rotations. Winfield Jr. has 20 tackles this season and is known as one of the NFL’s most alert and physical defensive backs, playing at a position of need for coach Bowles’ team.
Watch sports LIVE with fuboTV (free trial)
The Bucs fell behind 17-6 heading into halftime, but drew to within 17-13 on a two-yard Bucky Irving touchdown run in the third quarter. The Bears’ defense stepped up after that as they intercepted Bucs QB Baker Mayfield, turning defense into offense. Jaylon Johnson snagged a Mayfield pass and took it 33 yards to the house, followed by a Cairo Santos extra point to make the score 24-13 in favor of Chicago at Soldier Field.
The Bucs’ defense managed a few big plays of its own, intercepting Caleb Williams twice and keeping the Bears from blowing the game wide open.
Winfield Jr.’s injury continued to haunt Bowles and his players as they attempted to mount a comeback. Winfield Jr. is one of Tampa Bay’s cornerstones, and a player who inspires his teammates every week on the football field, whose durability is almost never in question. His loss stung, but Tampa Bay knew they needed to keep pushing as the Bears showed little sign of slowing.
Related: Bears’ Caleb Williams is getting roasted for brutal INT-fest vs. Buccaneers
Related: Buccaneers embarrass Caleb Williams with back-to-back SNF picks