Chris Godwin's injury flipped the Falcons-Buccaneers Week 8 line and the NFC South race

Chris Godwin suffered a dislocated ankle in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens Monday night, an injury that will end his season, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports.

It’s a devastating blow to a Bucs offense that ranks top five in yards and points per game, but will now have to figure out how to maintain that explosiveness without its leading receiver.

#Bucs WR Chris Godwin will undergo surgery on his dislocated ankle this week, sources say. He’ll see a doctor today to determine the damage & is expected to make a full recovery for 2025 — when he’ll be a FA.

Godwin was in a career year with 576 receiving yds — 2nd in the NFL. pic.twitter.com/UPVOqFwjXT

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 22, 2024

Godwin’s likely absence — combined with Mike Evans nursing a hamstring injury — is already having an effect on expectations for how the Bucs might perform going forward. Tampa moved from a 2.5-point favorite over the division foe Atlanta Falcons in Week 8 to a 2.5-point underdog at BetMGM.

That’s a five-point swing for a team likely to find it more difficult to move the ball, especially if Evans is also forced to miss time.

 

Curiously, Godwin’s injury hasn’t yet impacted Tampa’s odds to win the NFC South, which remain second-best behind the Falcons at +150 — better than their +175 odds of a week ago.

That may have a little to do with Atlanta’s blowout loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, which kept the teams tied at 4-3, and Tampa having the NFL’s easiest remaining schedule. But I would argue the path to a division title has never been clearer for the Falcons.

 

Injuries already knocked the New Orleans Saints out the division race. Now, they’re coming for the Bucs. If the Falcons can beat Tampa this week — as projected by oddsmakers — they’ll gain a one-game lead in the division with games against the Dallas Cowboys, Saints, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers to follow. All winnable.

The banged-up Bucs play the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers next.

That’s why I wouldn’t be in a rush to bet Tampa’s odds. The Falcons may not be the dominant team some thought they could be after adding Kirk Cousins, but they are the healthiest team in the division. That leaves them with no excuses not to finish the season on top.