When the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rallied in the fourth quarter to defeat the New York Jets in Week 3 and improve to 3-0, they made NFL history as the first team since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to start the season with 3 consecutive fourth quarter comeback victories.
That they did so while missing large chunks of their starting lineup, including almost their entire offensive line and multiple NFL All-Pro wide receivers make it even more impressive.
Impressive to everyone … but former NFL defensive back and ESPN analyst Domonique Foxworth, who dismissed Tampa Bay’s unbeaten start ahead of their Week 4 showdown against another unbeaten team in the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.
“I mean, miss me with all that,” Foxworth said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on September 24. “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers haven’t played anybody.”
While it’s a pretty significant slight to the Buccaneers to talk about them like that, Foxworth isn’t necessarily wrong. The 3 teams Tampa Bay has beaten so far — the Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans and Jets — are a combined 1-8 to start the season.
Who Is Domonique Foxworth, Anyway?
Foxworth, 42 years old, was a 3-time All-ACC pick at Maryland and was selected in the third round (No. 97 overall) of the 2005 NFL draft by the Denver Broncos and played 7 seasons for 3 different teams.
His post playing career has been even more impressive. Foxworth earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and served as the NFL Players Association President before leaving that position to be the COO of the NBA Players Association before launching into a successful media career.
In addition to his work with ESPN, Foxworth is also an accomplished screenwriter and wrote an episode of the critically acclaimed “American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez” series on FX in 2024.
Buccaneers Winning Despite Rash Of Injuries
The injury issues for the Buccaneers have been so pronounced they’re worth going back over.
On defense, it’s been minimal in terms of manpower but massive in terms of production. The Buccaneers only have one significant injury on that side of the ball, but it’s one they might not be able to get over in the long term after last season’s sacks leader, defensive end Calijah Kancey, suffered a season ending torn pec in Week 2 against the Texans.
On offense, the amount of players the Buccaneers have lost or have been missing entirely so far this season makes their 3-0 start so much more impressive.
On the offensive line, starting guard Cody Mauch is out for the season after injuring his knee against the Texans. NFL All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs has yet to play a game because of a knee injury but could return in Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks.
Right offensive tackle Luke Goedeke, who signed a 4-year, $90 million contract on September 2, was placed on injured reserve with a foot injury and won’t be back until Week 7 game against the Detroit Lions, at the earliest.
NFL All-Pro wide receiver Chris Godwin has yet to play this season but isn’t on injured reserve. NFL All-Pro wide receiver Mike Evans hurt his hamstring against the Jets and will miss multiple games but has yet to be placed on injured reserve.