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Just over a year ago, Bucs wide receiver Chris Godwin suffered a torn ACL and MCL in a 9-0 loss to the Saints at Raymond James Stadium. It was a crushing blow, as he was having a fantastic season in a contract year and helping the team make a run toward a Super Bowl repeat. But instead of being able to work toward completing the back-to-back, he had to miss the final three regular season games before watching as Tampa Bay bowed out of the playoffs in the NFC Divisional Round.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
That injury on Dec. 19, 2021 set Godwin on a long road to recovery. The Bucs signed him to a new three-year, $60 million contract in the offseason as he continued to rehab and make a push toward returning for the 2022 season. He did just that, making it back for the team’s season-opening win in Dallas. But a hamstring injury he suffered in that game set him back and gave him another obstacle to overcome. But now, down the final stretch of Tampa Bay’s season, the 26-year-old receiver is seeing his hard work pay off.
Godwin is a competitor. Having to helplessly sit out while his team looked to make a run in the playoffs last season couldn’t have been easy. But now, with the Bucs one win away from clinching the NFC South for the second straight season, he said Wednesday that he’s thankful for the journey he’s been on – and he’s happy the team is playing meaningful games this late in the season.
“Yeah, it’s definitely been a journey, to say the least,” Godwin said. “Like you said, the [one-year anniversary of the injury] just recently passed and I’m grateful to be on this side still going strong. It was a dark day for me when it happened, but to have been able to make it back for the first game, have a little hiccup, but still getting back and playing for a majority of the season…I’m starting to pick up a little bit steam here – still have a little ways to go, but I’m just grateful for this journey. I’m grateful to be here towards the end of the season playing for something that’s meaningful.”
“Honestly, you really find out who you are in tough moments and I’m glad to say that I am who I built myself up to be – who I saw myself as in my head,” he said. “That’s a hard worker, someone who’s going to come in and put their head down and go to work every day. It’s been a tough journey, but I’ve had a lot of people who have been with me along the way [who] have been encouraging me and have my back. They’ve been patient with me [when] it hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbows, but I think I’m much better for it on this side of it.”
As Tampa Bay looks to clinch the division – and the home playoff game that comes with it – with a win over Carolina on Sunday, the team will need Godwin to continue taking steps toward being the guy he was before the injury. And interestingly, in a very measurable way, he’s almost there.
Godwin Is Closing In On Bucs History With Two Games To Play
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR
In 2021, Godwin was well on his way toward breaking the Bucs’ single-season receptions record. He had 98 when he went down with his injury in Week 15, meaning he had three and half more games to claim the record as his own. The single-season record belongs to Keyshawn Johnson, who hauled in 106 passes in 2001. So, it’s almost a guarantee that with three and a half more games last year, Godwin would’ve managed nine more catches. But after a long, grueling rehab process, Godwin may still have some hope to break that record in 2022, one year after suffering such a catastrophic injury.
Godwin will enter play on Sunday with 89 catches this season, which means he needs 18 more over the final two games to break Johnson’s record. It’s a tall task to be sure, but it’s not one that’s totally out of reach for the seventh-year receiver. He is only averaging 6.8 receptions per game in his 13 games this season, but he does have a 12-catch performance to his name within the last month or so. He’s also brought in eight passes in three of his last four games.
Godwin’s involvement in the offense has grown as the year has gone on, so averaging nine catches in the final two weeks – against the Panthers and Falcons – isn’t out of the realm of possibility. And with even 10 more catches, he’ll pass his mark of 98 from last year, which is the second-most in franchise history.
Of course, Godwin would prefer wins over records, as he said Wednesday.
Bucs WR Chris Godwin – Photo by: USA Today
“I think it’s really gratifying. I try not to focus too much on stats – I really try to look at everything as my impact on the team and I try to look at the game as a whole and see if I made a positive impact or not,” he said. “If I didn’t, how can I be better? But I think just being as consistent as I can is something I can try and hang my hat on. I want to be a reliable guy for my team so that whenever the ball is thrown my way, they expect that the plays are going to be made.”
“I think it still is, I really do,” he said. “I really feel like it could be any moment it clicks for us and whatever that missing piece is… I think it’s right there. It’s not going to just happen, right? We’ve got to make it happen, we’ve got to go out there and work together.”
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