The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not need another name on the injury report. They got one anyway. Antoine Winfield Jr. will miss two to four weeks with a fractured rib, head coach Todd Bowles said Monday, three days before a Thursday night game at Dallas.
Winfield was hurt in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 17-14 loss to Green Bay. Until then he had been one of the few things going right. He played 55 of 60 defensive snaps, made six tackles without a miss and forced a fumble, and his 81.9 defensive grade ranked fourth on the team, according to PFF.
What the Buccaneers lose without Antoine Winfield Jr.
Kim Klement-Imagn Images
Ifeatu Melifonwu moves into the starting lineup. He played four defensive snaps against the Packers, according to PFF, and now gets a short week to prepare for an offense that just put up 34 points in Houston. CeeDee Lamb caught 17 passes for 189 yards in that game, and Dak Prescott threw for 335. Tykee Smith, whose 90.9 grade led the Tampa Bay defense on Sunday, is the experienced safety left next to Melifonwu.
Winfield has 24 tackles through four games. He is a two-time Pro Bowler and was an All-Pro in 2023, and last season he had two interceptions and eight passes defensed. That is the range Tampa Bay is replacing on the back end.
The front has not made life easier for the secondary, either. The Buccaneers generated seven pressures and no sacks against Jordan Love, according to PFF, and rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. missed the game. The defense still forced two fumbles and got a red-zone interception from Jacob Parrish, which is how a team with a rookie quarterback stayed within three points. Linebacker SirVocea Dennis is also having an ankle injury evaluated.
All of this lands on a team that is 0-4 with every loss by seven points or fewer. Baker Mayfield is out with a thumb injury, and rookie Jalon Daniels is starting at quarterback. The margins have been thin all season, and Tampa Bay now goes to Dallas without its most accomplished defender in the secondary.
