The Buccaneers head into Sunday’s matchup with Minnesota already carrying plenty of baggage from an 0-2 start, and now the Vikings may be dealing with a problem of their own in the backfield.
According to Kevin Seifert of ESPN, Aaron Jones is at risk of missing this week’s game against Tampa Bay. Kevin O’Connell said the first two names he mentioned when asked what the position would look like without Jones, or Jordan Mason, were DeeJay Dallas and Demond Claiborne.
That matters because Mason is already sidelined, which pushed Jones into a much heavier workload last week against the Bears. He handled 23 carries and turned them into 105 rushing yards.
If both Jones and Mason are unavailable on Sunday, Minnesota’s running back room would suddenly look thin. That would give Tampa Bay one area to lean on, since the Buccaneers have been much better against the run than they have been elsewhere, allowing the fourth fewest rushing yards so far this season.
The Bucs, of course, could use any break they can get. They’ve dropped both of their games and haven’t looked sharp on either side of the ball, with blame spread across the roster, coaching staff and front office. Their injury list is growing, too, with defensive rookies Rueben Bain Jr. and Josiah Trotter both dealing with injuries and Baker Mayfield working through an illness.
There’s still time for Tampa Bay to steady itself, but the margin for error is already thin. Sunday’s trip to face the Vikings offers a chance, and Minnesota’s uncertain running back situation may have opened a small one.
In Other News...
Ronde Barber Just Raised The Stakes For The Bucs Fast
Ronde Barber did not need long to find the edge in Tampa Bays rocky start. The Buccaneers legend pointed to the mistakes and the lack of execution he has seen from a team that opened 0-2, a rough beginning that has already left the mood around the club far different than the one it hoped to carry into the fall. A home loss to the Browns only sharpened the concern, and now the Bucs are trying to regroup before facing the Vikings.
For a team built to contend, the conversation has shifted quickly from early-season rust to something more serious. Barbers comments only add to the pressure on a group that needs a response fast, with speculation already building around what continued losses could mean for Todd Bowles. The next game will not settle everything, but it feels like a measuring stick for whether this start is a bad stretch or the beginning of a much bigger problem. [Read more 🡒]
Warren Sapp Is Taking A New Tampa Fight Public
Warren Sapp has turned a tense City Hall encounter into a federal civil rights fight, filing a lawsuit against the city of Tampa over what happened during a recent Tampa City Council meeting. The complaint says Sapp was there lawfully to obtain paperwork when city officials moved to have him removed, a response the suit characterizes as an overreach that went beyond what the situation called for.
The filing says Sapps First Amendment rights were violated and points to a trespass warning as part of the dispute. He is seeking nominal damages and is being represented by attorney Anthony Sabatini, setting up a public challenge that puts a former Buccaneers star squarely in the middle of a battle with the city he has long been associated with. [Read more 🡒]
Ronde Barber Just Put Buccaneers' Early Problem In Plain Sight
The first two weeks have left the Buccaneers with more questions than answers, and the home opener only sharpened them. A 23-19 loss to the Browns dropped Tampa Bay to 0-2 and came in front of a crowd that fell short of capacity, adding to the sense that the team has yet to find its footing. For a roster carrying expectations, the problems have been less about one bad break and more about the kind of mistakes and execution lapses that show up on too many snaps.
Ronde Barber put the issue in plain sight when he pointed to the teams lack of urgency, with the defense drawing particular concern. That kind of critique lands harder this early in the season because it speaks to identity as much as performance, and the Buccaneers now face a stretch of games where the pressure is already building. At this stage, the standings are one thing, but the bigger concern is whether Tampa Bay can correct the errors quickly enough to keep the season from slipping further. [Read more 🡒]