Bucs Gameday

Buccaneers' wide receiver carted off late in Wild Card loss to Dallas following potential neck injury

Russell Gage suffered what appeared to be a serious injury with just a few minutes to play in the Buccaneers' playoff defeat.

Collin Haalboom

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It was a tough night for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All around.

And right when it seemed as though things couldn’t possibly get any worse, with just a few minutes left in the game, first-year Bucs’ receiver, Russell Gage, suffered what appeared to be a painful (and potentially serious) injury on a routine play.

On second down, deep in Dallas territory, with the Buccaneers trailing 31-6, Brady threw a pass to Gage on an in-breaking route from the left side. Gage’s head/neck area took the brunt of the force from the tackle, and it immediately became obvious he was in serious pain.

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Although it couldn’t be seen from the television feed, reports from the stadium indicated that Gage tried to stand up several times, but was unable to do so. After lying on the field for several minutes, with the majority of players from both teams gathered around him, the medical staff was able to get Gage onto the cart, and escort him off the field.

Gage had injured his back late in the team’s Week 18 matchup vs. the Atlanta Falcons while securing a touchdown catch. Whether or not this injury, is related to the one sustained in that game, we don’t know.

Hopefully, this injury to Russell Gage looked worse on the field than the actual diagnosis will reveal. We’ll continue to monitor the injury reports, and provide an update with further details once they’re released.

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Collin Haalboom
COLLIN HAALBOOM

Prior to joining BucsGameday and Sports Illustrated, Collin's written content was provided through Bucs Banter, and NFL Draft Lounge. He is also the creator and host of the Bucs Banter Podcast. He is a graduate of the Communication Studies program at McMaster University, where he was also a varsity basketball player, and later an advanced scout. He lives with his wife and two children in Hamilton, ON. You can follow Collin on YouTube and Twitter.