TAMPA, Fla — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took more than one devastating blow in last night's game against the Chicago Bears.
Not only did the team fall 20-19 during a late fourth-quarter field goal drive leading to Cairo Santos putting the football between the goalposts with 1:17 left on the clock. But they also lost a large presence on the field as Bruce Arians reports defensive tackle Vita Vea has broken his leg.
The heartbreaking moment came in the fourth-quarter as Vea made a tackle for a loss on Bears running back David Montgomery.
Now Arians says Vea is out for the season.
“Vita’s got a broken leg and [will] probably miss the rest of the season. It’ll be a big loss," Arians said. "When you lose players like O.J.and Vita, you can plug the next man in, but they’re not the same. I hate it for him because he was having such a great year."
And he's right. The 6-foot-4, 347-pound defensive tackle has put up six solo tackles, four assists and two sacks in just five games. One of those sacks coming last night on Bears quarterback Nick Foles.
“I don’t know if there was a better nose tackle out there. He was getting sacks. He was getting pressure up the middle. He got hurt on a great hustle play on the side going back and forth and it was really friendly fire that got his leg. He was playing really, really well," Arians said.
With Vea out, the NFL reports Bucs fans should keep their eyes on Rakeem Nunez-Roches who is set to see more time next to Ndamukong Suh and William Gholston on the team's defensive line.
What other people are reading right now:
- Florida judge denies motion to extend Florida's voter registration deadline for two days
- What you need to know before heading back to the nail salon
- Python hunters find 'once in a lifetime' record-breaking snake
- Speaker Nancy Pelosi: 'We're going to be talking about the 25th Amendment'
- What you need to know about the 6 constitutional amendments on Florida ballots
- Hurricane Delta in the Gulf of Mexico: Storm's path, latest forecast
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter
