While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers only had a walkthrough for their Wednesday practice, there were certainly some good and bad things to come from the injury report.
Unfortunately, the Bucs were once again without Lavonte David (groin) and Jamel Dean (ankle) – who both missed last week’s game in Indianapolis due to injury – while also being without SirVocea Dennis (illness) and Mike Green (calf).
Good news was that Baker Mayfield (ankle) who got injured in the opening drive of last week’s game was a full participant which is much better than many anticipated after he was forced to leave the game at the end of the first series and was noticeably hobbled throughout the afternoon.
Devin White (foot), YaYa Diaby (ankle), and Carlton Davis (ankle) were all limited, but appear to be on track to play this week.
For the Panthers, they are losing offensive linemen left and right. They placed offensive lineman Chandler Zavala (knee) on injured reserve while Taylor Moton (knee) did not participate and Cade Mays (ankle) was limited.
Also out for the Panthers were Vonn Bell (shoulder), Johnny Hekker (personal), Marquis Haynes (back), Hayden Hurts (concussion), Laviska Shenault (ankle), Adam Thielen (rest), and Tommy Tremble (hip).
The Panthers are also dealing with the fallout of head coach Frank Reich being fired on Monday, making him the first head coach to be fired in back-to-back seasons.
And while the Panthers aren’t mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, firing your head coach isn’t likely to spark a six game win streak to give themselves a chance at the long shot berth.
The Buccaneers and Panthers kickoff in Raymond James Stadium on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on CBS with Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, and Jay Feely on the call.