While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans knew right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke would eventually return this season, what they didn’t know for sure was when that might happen after he went on injured reserve with a foot injury following a Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.
One thing no one knew about Goedeke was the actual extent of his injuries — it was always just characterized as a “foot” injury — but the man himself tuned everyone in to exactly how bad it was during Thursday’s media session.
“Bucs RT Luke Goedeke said he tore his plantar fascia and had a contusion to recover from since Week 2,” Tampa Bay Times reporter Rick Stroud wrote on his official X account on November 13. “He is thrilled to be back.”
Now, with Goedeke finally back in the lineup fir a Week 10 loss to the New England Patriots, it’s only going to get better for both Goedeke and Tampa Bay’s offense the more he’s in the lineup. He gets another chance when the NFC South first place Buccaneers travel to face the Buffalo Bills in Week 11, where Goedeke will get to square off with edge rusher Joey Bosa.
The Patriots game was the first tine this season the Buccaneers had their high priced offensive tackles together — left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs missed the first 3 games as he recovered from preseason knee surgery.
“I came in day in and day out (to rehab) to try and get back as soon as possible,” Goedeke said in a video posted to X by Pewter Report. “I wasn’t the most pleasant at times to be around … football is what my life revolves around. I make sacrifices training in the offseason to be in the very best physical shape I can be in, so to have that taken away from you is very frustrating.”
The Buccaneers have been missing large chunks of their offense all season. That’s meant little familiarity and little getting a feel for each other, because it’s always different people in the lineup.
The Buccaneers saw an immediate uptick in their run game against the Patriots with Goedeke back in the lineup and rushed for 113 yards — their highest total since running for 122 yards in a Week 3 win over the New York Jets.
“Luke Goedeke immediately shuts down the notion that he’s the only reason the run game bounced back,” Bucs Gameday’s River Wells posted on X on November 13. “He says all 11 players did good work to get the run game going against the Patriots.”
This offseason, for the second year in a row, the Buccaneers delivered a massive payday to one of their elite offensive linemen.
“The #Bucs have agreed to terms with their standout OT Luke Goedeke, as he gets a 4-year, $90M deal — $22.5M APY — that includes $50M guaranteed,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on September 2. “Tampa Bay locks up another key O-lineman.”
Tampa Bay signed NFL All-Pro left offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs to a 4-year, $140.6 million contract extension in August 2024, which remains the largest contract for an offensive lineman in NFL history.
The Denver Broncos are 8-2, but after their close 10-7 win over the lowly Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday night Football in Week 10, there has been some pushback on the Broncos’ record and contender status.
One of the main subjects of criticism has been Broncos’ second-year quarterback Bo Nix. He’s had his ups and downs in his NFL career, but lately, he’s struggled a bit more than usual.
Those struggles led Super Bowl Champion cornerback Asante Samuel, whose son just signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to blast Nix on Twitter/X. Samuel doesn’t understand why people (fans, media, etc.) believe in Nix.
“Please don’t tell me anyone believes in Bo Nix.” Samuel posted. “He isn’t like that!”
Nix has gone through his fair share of struggles, but for a former NFL player, one who still has connections to the NFL, to blast Nix like this is surprising.
The 25-year-old quarterback has been inconsistent this season. He’s had incredible comebacks, the wild wins over the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, but has also had poor performances surrounding those comebacks.
Against the Raiders, he went 16 for 28 for 150 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. It’s the fourth straight game for Nix with at least one turnover.
He has 2,126 passing yards and 18 touchdowns on the year, but his eight interceptions are not great, especially with four coming in the last three weeks.
With his latest game coming in primetime, his struggles were brought to the center stage. While Nix isn’t the worst quarterback in the league, he does have some struggles he needs to get over.
His 60.9 completion percentage is nearly six percent worse than it was in his rookie season. He’s slightly worse in most categories this season.
But there’s still one reason to be optimistic in Nix and believe in him, unlike Samuel. Nix is great at avoiding sacks, with a league-leading 2.78 sack percentage.
Samuel’s blasting of Nix is just another hater of Nix. He’s faced plenty of boo’s, including from his own fanbase, and if he doesn’t turn things around, those boo’s and criticism will continue.
But Denver is 8-2, and a Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs would be a great way to deny his haters. Samuel might not believe in Nix, but there’s reason to believe the second-year quarterback can prove him wrong.