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Bucs wide receiver Antonio Brown will miss his first game of the 2021 season against the Rams. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Brown did not make the trip with his teammates to Los Angeles and is out for Sunday’s game.
Bucs’ WR Antonio Brown did not make the trip to Los Angeles and is out for Sunday’s game vs. the Rams, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 25, 2021
Brown was placed on the reserve/COVID list on Tuesday, September 22. There was some hope that the wide receiver could have two negative tests before Sunday’s tilt and be able to play, but that wasn’t the case.
Losing Brown is huge in a key matchup that could potentially decide seeding down the line for the playoffs. Brown had eight receptions for 57 yards on 13 targets last season against the Rams. He joins fellow wide receiver Jaydon Mickens, who is out with a hip injury, as inactives this week. Those losses will thrust Scotty Miller and Tyler Johnson into bigger roles. Neither receiver recorded a reception in last season’s contest against the Rams.
It will be a big week for the Bucs 2021 draft class. With Brown out, it will probably mark the debut of fourth round rookie Jaelon Darden. Darden will likely handle the return duties in Mickens’ absence. Without special teams captain and backup linebacker Kevin Minter, who is also on the reserve/COVID list, fifth round pick K.J. Britt will get the nod as the top reserve off-ball linebacker. First rounder Joe Tryon-Shoyinka will also have a bigger role as well, with Jason Pierre-Paul out with a shoulder injury.
