TAMPA, Fla. — The Buccaneers play, arguably, their most important game of the season on Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. However, one player's wife is causing a distraction just days before kickoff.
Wide Receiver Chris Godwin went without a catch in last Sunday's win against the Carolina Panthers. It was the first time he didn't record a reception in a game since 2018.
"We were subbing him out a lot. Obviously, he’s a little nicked up, so he’s not totally 100%. Nobody is, but he is probably banged up more than most," head coach Todd Bowles said Monday.
Godwin's wife, Mariah, took exception to this comment. She took to Instagram on Wednesday to call out Bowles and voice her frustration.
"I don't know why things are the way they are. This isn't my team to coach, but this is lying on Chris, and implying negativity on his work ethic is infuriating," she said in part of her post.
Heading into last week's game against Carolina, Godwin was a game-time decision with a neck injury. He was given the green light to play and was on the field for 84% of Tampa Bay's offensive plays — his most since playing 77% of plays against the Tennessee Titans on Nov. 12. Those numbers do not support the notion that he was subbed out often.
In his last five games, Godwin has 15 catches for 154 yards and a rushing touchdown. His last receiving touchdown came on Oct. 26 against the Buffalo Bills.
"We’ve got to find ways to get him the ball. I can’t tell you why it’s dipped. If he’s double-covered, obviously we can’t throw it to him. Certain things require us doing other things with other guys," Bowles said.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield targeted Godwin three times against Carolina. Receiver Mike Evans was targeted 12 times.
"Obviously, we tried to get him involved early and then the rain kind of made it hard for us just based on our normal gameplan that we would have called," Mayfield said.
A win on Sunday is a must for Tampa Bay as it would put them back in first place in the NFC South. A loss to the Falcons would tank their playoff chances to less than 10%.
The divisional contest kicks off on Sunday at 1 p.m. and airs on 10 Tampa Bay.