ARLINGTON, Texas -- Chris Godwin's much-anticipated comeback game nine months after sustaining a torn ACL and MCL was short-lived.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver injured a hamstring Sunday night in the first half of the team's season opener at the Dallas Cowboys and did not return in Tampa Bay's 19-3 victory -- the first win of Todd Bowles' tenure as head coach of the Buccaneers and the Bucs' first triumph on the road against the Cowboys since 2001.
Godwin was hurt on a 5-yard out route in the second quarter in which the 2019 Pro Bowler had to bend over awkwardly to make the catch on a low pass thrown from quarterback Tom Brady, before falling out of bounds. Godwin came up limping.
"The good thing is it wasn't his knee, so [I] was happy about that," Bowles said, "and he was playing free and playing normal, so hopefully he can get back and continue the things that he started."
Left tackle Donovan Smith also left the game, because of a right elbow injury, and did not return. He was hurt on a third-down sack by outside linebacker Micah Parsons, who spun his way to Brady with defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa barreling behind him and hitting Smith from behind. Smith has missed just two career starts in seven seasons.
Bowles did not have specifics on either injury immediately after the game. Both players will undergo further testing once back in Tampa.
"Not yet," Bowles said. "I'll go and I'll try to get more information [Sunday] or [Monday]."
Godwin didn't speak to reporters after the game, but he said in passing on his way to receiving treatment: "It's always good to be back out there with your guys."
Prior to leaving the contest, Godwin had three catches for 35 receiving yards, including a 24-yard grab on the Bucs' first pass play that fired up the visitors sideline.
"I think it was big for his confidence," Bowles said of the play. "He started smiling. You could see it right there. He was ready to go, and I was happy about that."
Godwin suffered the knee injury Dec. 19 of last season and underwent surgery Jan. 3. He missed the start of training camp and didn't participate in the preseason. Even during the week leading up to Sunday's game, he was still practicing in an orange, noncontact jersey and was a game-time decision.
In regard to Smith, the Bucs' offensive line has already been marred by injuries and turnover, with Pro Bowl center Ryan Jensen going on injured reserve after injuring his knee on the second day of training camp. Pro Bowl selection Ali Marpet retired this past offseason, and Tampa Bay lost Alex Cappa, a 2021 Pro Bowl alternate, in free agency.
Smith's replacement, Josh Wells, struggled in pass protection against the Cowboys, producing a 70% pass block win rate. He surrendered a sack for a loss of seven yards to Parsons.
Both of Parsons' sacks came on third down, which was a struggle for Tampa Bay, along with red zone scoring.
Brady's 5-yard scoring pass to Mike Evans in the third quarter provided the only touchdown of the night for either team. The bulk of the Bucs' offense was handled by running back Leonard Fournette, who rushed for 127 yards on 21 carries. The running game coupled with a stout Bucs defense that notched four sacks (including two from inside linebacker Devin White) secured the win.
"There was a lot of tricky things tonight -- guys coming in and out, not sure who was gonna play, and guys played and then they were in and they were out, we were rotating people, Donny [Smith] got hurt and there's just not a lot of fluidity," said Brady, who became the oldest quarterback in NFL history to start a game at the age of 45 on Sunday.
"That's the reality of it. It's not always the most fluid sport. You're always doing things to adjust. But I think we're gonna find some things that we liked out of the game. There's plenty of things we're not gonna like, and we're just gonna have to work on it and get better."