A bad Thursday night appears to have gotten much worse for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Buccaneers lost 27-22 at home to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday Night Football. Tampa Bay is now a very disappointing 3-5 on the season. And addition to the loss, they lost a crucial defensive player to injury.
Tampa Bay outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett exited the game with an injury in the third quarter, and Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles told the media that it’s an Achilles injury. Bowles added that the injury “doesn’t look good.” NFL Network’s Sara Walsh reports that Barrett was seen wearing a boot and leaving the locker room on crutches.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Barrett is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles. Barrett will have an MRI on Friday.
So, this is brutal news for Barrett and the Buccaneers.
Barrett, 29, has been one of the NFL’s best pass-rushers over the last few seasons. The Colorado State product had an NFL-best 19.5 sacks in 2019, and he had 10 sacks in 2021. He was a game-wrecker for the 2020 Super Bowl champion Bucs, recording four sacks that postseason.
On Thursday night, the two-time Pro Bowl selection had one sack — giving him three on the season — and three tackles for loss.
The Tampa Bay defense allowed 453 yards to the Ravens, after giving up 20-plus points to the Pittsburgh Steelers — who were quarterbacked by Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky — and Carolina Panthers — who were quarterbacked by P.J. Walker and had just traded Christian McCaffrey — in the previous two weeks (also losses). The Buccaneers’ defense had been having issues to begin with, and now they’ve lost one of their most important players.
The concern with Achilles injuries goes beyond just the time missed (and a torn Achilles would certainly be a season-ending injury). Athletes frequently suffer a loss in explosion and athleticism after such an injury, even when fully recovered. Hopefully, that doesn’t prove to be the case here, and Barrett can eventually able to return to being one of the game’s top pass-rushers.
The Barrett injury was one of many injuries suffered by players on Thursday night.
UPDATE: The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have confirmed that Shaquil Barrett suffered a torn Achilles. He will be out for the next 7-9 months.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.