September 12, 2018

Buccaneers may be without several key starters vs. Eagles Week 2

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

In their Week 1 shootout against the New Orleans Saints, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers put 48 points on the scoreboard, resulting in the biggest upset of the opening weekend of games.

However, they suffered a couple of key injuries in the win. According to Greg Auman, the Buccaneers reporter for The Athletic, wide receiver DeSean Jackson and cornerback Vernon Hargreaves are both in question for the Bucs' matchup against the Eagles Week 2.

Jackson had 5 catches for 146 yards and 2 TDs in the win, while Hargreaves had 7 tackles and a forced fumble.

In his post-Eagles career, Jackson has haunted his former team, as he has 20 catches for 440 yards (22.0 YPC) and 2 TDs in 5 games. Jackson's teams have gone 4-1 against the Eagles in those games. Here's the play where Jackson suffered his concussion:

DeSean Jackson's status for next week's Eagles game is in jeopardy after leaving today's Bucs game with a concussion@6abc #eagles #deseanjackson pic.twitter.com/SnL8g5DUq8
— Jeff Skversky 6abc (@JeffSkversky) September 9, 2018

If Jackson cannot go, Philadelphia-born Chris Godwin, a second-year player out of Penn State, would likely get the start. In his rookie season in 2017, Godwin had 34 catches for 525 yards and 1 TDs. Week 1 against the Saints, Godwin had 3 catches for 41 yards and a TD.

At corner, the Bucs were already missing starter Brent Grimes for their Week 1 matchup against the Saints with a groin injury. If both Hargreaves and Grimes are unable to go Week 2, the Bucs would likely start rookie second-round corner Carlton Davis and second-year player Ryan Smith.

Update: Hargreaves is going on IR, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network: