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Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles decided to roll the dice in Week 18 with nothing to gain in regard to playoff positioning.
The Bucs also have nothing to lose this weekend, making a win or loss against the Atlanta Falcons all but meaningless.
Unless, of course, a key member of Tampa Bay's roster were to go down to injury.
This is exactly what happened when it was revealed that center Robert Hainsey suffered a hamstring injury on the team's first offensive drive of the game and would be held out for the remainder of the Bucs' Week 18 contest.
It's exactly the kind of injury that could have many second-guessing coach Bowles if Hainsey's injury proves significant enough to hold him out of next week's Wild Card playoff game.
Considering how Tampa Bay's offense has struggled so far this regular season, losing any additional players could threaten to derail the unit altogether.
Hainsey has been playing all season in place of starting center Ryan Jensen who was injured on the first day of training camp, seemingly sending the Buccaneers into an offensive tailspin of sorts they've yet to pull out of yet.
The loss of Jensen, combined with the retirement of left guard Ali Marpet, has significantly degraded the effectiveness of quarterback Tom Brady's offensive line.
And now, with an injury suffered by Hainsey, it could get worse before it gets better.
Here's hoping he's being held out as a precaution, and it's a slight issue, not an injury.
More must-reads:
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- The worst NFL teams from the 1980s
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