NFL Fans Ripped Todd Bowles’s Decision to Play Chris Godwin Before Late Injury

Kristen Wong | Oct 22, 2024

Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ season took a turn for the worse in the waning minutes of their 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night when Chris Godwin went down after suffering a scary injury.

On a third-and-long with a little over a minute remaining in the game, Godwin was tackled and hurt his lower leg on a play that was too gruesome for ESPN to show on the broadcast. Godwin reportedly dislocated his ankle and will undergo surgery this week with the expectation that he’ll make a full recovery for 2025.

Amid an emotional outpouring of support for Godwin, some fans don’t think he should have been on the field in the first place. The Buccaneers were down 10 points in their own red zone with no timeouts and only about a minute to get down the field. They would have needed a touchdown or a field goal, a successful onside kick and then one more score to tie or win the game. 

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters in his postgame presser that Godwin wanted to be in the game, along with the rest of the Bucs starters, to try to complete the late comeback.

Fans have just one question for Bowles: What did it cost?

wait why was Godwin even in the game

— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) October 22, 2024

And now Godwin is injured completely unnecessarily. A coaching disaster class by Todd Bowles tonight. Gross negligence.

— Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) October 22, 2024

Godwin is a free agent after this season. Todd Bowles just cost him generational money and job security. What do you even say to a man after that? Irredeemable

— UE (@T3Jab) October 22, 2024

If life ever has you down, just think “Todd Bowles thought he could win a football game he trailed 41-18 with under 4 minutes left.”

— Jeff Bell (@4WhomJBellTolls) October 22, 2024

todd bowles killing chris godwin in garbage time minutes pic.twitter.com/T6Atj05mRf

— chappie (depressed steelers fan) (@TrentJordanFan) October 22, 2024

*Mike Evans dies in the first half*

Todd Bowles: " Let's kill our second-best WR in garbage time in the final minute too for no reason" pic.twitter.com/FxUfSCwddM

— Scott Reichel (@ReichelRadio) October 22, 2024

I understand it’s a big game
I understand you play until it’s over
I understand hindsight 20/20

But…

Mike Evans shouldn’t have been out there prior to his injury

Chris Godwin shouldn’t have been out there prior to his injury

It’s Week 7

It’s not the Super Bowl pic.twitter.com/QiWhCMrIJo

— 𝗭𝗮𝗰 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗻𝗲𝗿🎙 (@ZacOnTheMic) October 22, 2024

ESPN analyst Ryan Clark, however, chose to play the devil’s advocate:

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

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