Back from bye, Buccaneers still unlikely to have several key starters against Patriots

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are rested and refreshed after a bye week that came at the right time with several players dealing with injuries.

They still might not have a few key starters back against New England.

Running back Bucky Irving, wide receiver Chris Godwin Jr. and edge rusher Haason Reddick didn’t practice Wednesday. Right guard Luke Goedeke was limited after the team opened his 21-day practice window earlier in the week.

Irving has missed the last four games with a foot and shoulder injury. Godwin has missed three straight with a fibula injury. Reddick sat out the last game with ankle and knee injuries. The team is without star wideout Mike Evans after he broke his clavicle on Oct. 20.

But the time off helped other players heal up, including quarterback Baker Mayfield. He’s been dealing with knee and oblique injuries.

“It definitely helps getting rest,” Mayfield said. “Still moving my body around a little bit, not letting yourself get too sore, but then also just the noncontact definitely helps.”

Mayfield played at an MVP level through the first six games but had a drop-off in performance after getting hurt.

“It is not really an excuse, you just (have) to get used to it, figure it out and go from there,” he said. “Some throws, I did not have my feet perfect, they were not going to be accurate. Normally, I can make up for it with how I change my arm angle and stuff like that. Some of it was different, but you just have to live and learn.”

When Goedeke returns, he’ll be a big boost for an offensive line that’s dealt with numerous injuries. Right guard Cody Mauch was lost for the season and backups Michael Jordan and Luke Haggard also got hurt. All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs missed the first three games.

“The team has been through a lot of stuff this year, off the field and on the field,” center Graham Barton said. “You just have to stick together. You guys are great, but sometimes you have to ignore the outside noise in the media and leave that to you guys, because it can be hard when you have the injuries that we have had and the rotation that we have had and guys coming in and out. You just have to stick together, you have to keep your heads down, and that is the beauty of football. You lean on your teammates and guys in the locker room, keep your head down, keep working and we will keep improving. We are ready to come out of this bye week and try to put together some good performances.”

The Buccaneers struggled on offense in their last two games before the bye. They managed just 212 yards in a 23-3 victory at New Orleans. The defense carried them against the Saints and even produced the first score of the game on Anthony Nelson’s interception return.

“It’s execution,” coach Todd Bowles said of the offense’s troubles. “I mean, we’ve got to coach it better, we’ve got to play it better. It’s execution, really. Everybody has seen some things — we’ve got to tweak a few things on both sides of the ball, special teams as well. We’ve got to grind out some points. There are going to be some days where we don’t score as many — we’ve got to grind them out. And there are going to be games where we score quite a bit of points. So, as long as we win them, that’s the key.”

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