The wide receiver position was extremely shorthanded for the Bucs heading into Week 3. Pro Bowler Mike Evans was suspended, Chris Godwin was still out with a hamstring injury and Julio Jones was listed as inactive after testing out his knee injury. That certainly didn’t help the Bucs, as they lost their home opener to the Packers, 14-12. Tampa Bay has only scored one offensive touchdown in each of its first three games this season.

Jones was the closest to playing after he stretched and ran individually on Friday. According to a report from Jay Glazer, Jones has a partially torn PCL. The silver lining is that it won’t require surgery. PCL injuries usually take 3-6 to weeks to heal, depending on the severity.

Bucs WR Jones Was Able To Play On Sunday

It turns out that the Bucs decided to play it cautiously in Week 3. Despite missing their other top two receivers, the Bucs held him out.

After Sunday’s game, Bowles wouldn’t confirm or deny the report of Jones’ PCL injury. But he did provide some good news.

“I just know he could’ve played. We held him out,” Bowles said. “We want to make sure he’s healthy. He’ll probably be back out there next week.”

Bucs WR Breshad Perriman – Photo by: USA Today

That’s a great sign for Tampa Bay considering they could really use that help at receiver, especially with Kansas City coming to town next Sunday. The Chiefs have the fourth-highest ranked offense in the NFL, averaging 29.3 points per game. They’ll get Evans back next week, but may still need more firepower, as the Bucs offense ranks tied for 22nd in the NFL, averaging just 17 points per game. That’s about two touchdowns less than what the team has averaged over the last couple of seasons.

Russell Gage stepped up in a big way on Sunday with 12 receptions for 87 yards and the Bucs’ lone touchdown. Outside of that there wasn’t a lot of other production from the position. Breshad Perriman, Cole Beasley, Scotty Miller and Jaelon Darden combined for eight catches and 85 yards out of Tom Brady’s 271 passing yards.

The Bucs offense requires receivers to win a lot of their 1-on-1 battles against defensive back and they weren’t able to create enough separation throughout.

Jones hasn’t played since the season opener where he contributed with three catches for 69 yards and two rushes for 17 yards. With Evans back from his suspension next week and Jones set to return, the Bucs offense could see an upswing in their offensive production. The unit has struggled thus far.