For the fourth time in the season's first half, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' offense will operate without the services of wide receiver Chris Godwin, the team's leading pass-catcher in 2019.
Godwin was one of five Buccaneers named inactive for Monday night's contest against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium, and the only one who is out due to injury. He will miss the Week Eight prime-time due to a fractured right index finger and has previously missed two games with a hamstring strain and one with a concussion. Godwin had a team-leading nine catches in the Week Seven win at Las Vegas, picking up 88 yards and a touchdown, but the finger injury occurred on his scoring grab.
Though he doesn't often factor heavily in the passing game, Antony Auclair returns from injured reserve after missing the previous six games. He suffered a calf injury in Week One. Auclair is a strong blocker and often figures into two-TE alignments.
The Buccaneers announced their list of inactives at 6:45 p.m. ET, 90 minutes before kickoff against the Giants. With 53 players on the active roster and no players elevated from the practice squad this week, the Buccaneers had to name five players inactive in order to get down to the limit of 48 active players.
The Giants will be without running back Devonta Freeman, who signed with the team after Saquon Barkley suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week Two. Freeman has started the last four games but will sit out on Monday night after suffering an ankle injury in the Giants' Week Seven Thursday night game against Philadelphia. Safety Adrian Colbert, who started New York's Week Four and Five games, will be sidelined for a third straight week due to a shoulder injury.
New York had 55 available players after elevating three from the practice squad to add to the 52-man roster they took into the weekend. One of those was guard Chad Slade, a COVID-19 replacement. The Giants' active roster was reduced by one from 53 on Thursday when starting left guard Will Hernandez was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Four other Giants offensive linemen, including starting tackles Cam Fleming and Anthony Thomas, were initially kept away from the team due to having proximity to Hernandez but all four returned on Friday and are cleared to play today.
BUCCANEERS INACTIVES
- DL Khalil Davis
- WR Chris Godwin
- WR Cyril Grayson
- QB Ryan Griffin
- G Aaron Stinnie
Godwin is out due to injury.
GIANTS INACTIVES
- T Jackson Barton
- WR C.J. Board
- S Adrian Colbert
- RB Devonta Freeman
- CB Ryan Lewis
- DL R.J. McIntosh
- TE Eric Tomlinson
Board, Colbert, Freeman and Lewis are out due to injury.
