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Tampa Bay Buccaneers All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. will miss multiple games with a right knee sprain, coach Todd Bowles said Monday.
Winfield Jr. left Tampa Bay’s 28-13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday in the second quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Second-year defensive back Kaevon Merriweather is the next man up on the depth chart and filled in well for Winfield Jr. in Week 14 — tying for the team lead in tackles (seven) and adding a sack.
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The Buccaneers depth at safety has taken some hits in recent weeks with injuries to Mike Edwards (hamstring) and Jordan Whitehead (pectoral). Additionally, the team is also without starting linebackers K.J. Britt (ankle) and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (ankle).
Earlier this season, Winfield Jr. missed four games with a foot injury. In nine games, he has 60 tackles, two sacks and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown. The 26-year-old enjoyed his finest season in 2023 — finishing sixth in the voting for the league’s Defensive Player of the Year award — with 122 tackles, six sacks, a league-high six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions.
A three-game winning streak has propelled the Buccaneers to the top of the NFC South standings at 7-6. Tampa Bay is on the road for its next two games (at the Los Angeles Chargers and Dallas Cowboys) before finishing the season at home for its final two games (Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints). The Buccaneers have a 57 percent chance of winning the division, according to Austin Mock’s playoff projection model.
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(Photo: Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
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