Buccaneers' chances of upsetting Rams take massive hit due to illness in locker room

Many Tampa Bay Buccaneers are under the weather heading into a crucial road game against the Los Angeles Rams on "Sunday Night Football." 

After a walk-through at Wednesday's practice, Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles revealed a mystery illness has broken out in Tampa Bay's building. The coach believes the bug has affected 20 people. 

Todd Bowles discusses mystery illness

"Unfortunately, this Wednesday a lot of people have taken ill," Bowles said, via Matt Matera of PewterReport.com. "There is a bug going around the building. We had about five coaches and about 15 players down, so that helped aid in this walk-through. There's nothing we can really do about that today." 

Even more concerning for the Buccaneers is that the illness has affected star players. Tampa Bay QB Baker Mayfield and rookie WR Emeka Egbuka were among those limited because of sickness during Wednesday's practice. 

How could this impact Sunday's game?

Upsetting the Rams already looked difficult enough for the Buccaneers. L.A. (8-2) is second in the NFC behind the Philadelphia Eagles (8-2) and has won five straight games.

Tampa Bay (6-4), meanwhile, has been struggling, losing three of its past five games. The slide puts the Buccaneers at risk of losing their lead in the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers (6-5) are second in the division and have captured three of their last five games.  

The Buccaneers needed big games from Mayfield and Egbuka to beat the Rams on Sunday. After 11 weeks, the QB ranks 12th in the league in passing yards (2,365) and is tied for 10th in passing touchdowns (17). The WR, meanwhile, is 12th in the NFL in receiving yards (717) and is tied for eighth in TD catches (six). 

As of Wednesday night, ESPN Analytics gives the Rams a 63.5% chance to win their road game. If Egbuka and Mayfield are still battling the illness or can't play, L.A.'s chances of winning should only increase. 

The illness could certainly affect Tampa Bay's ability to prepare for the pivotal game, potentially leading to a sloppy performance. That would leave many of their fans feeling sick while watching Sunday's matchup.