Chris Godwin is back in form, even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver, known for his steady performance, never really disappeared.
Almost three years after a serious knee injury, he feels like he has finally moved past it, and he’s thriving more than ever alongside Mike Evans.
As of Sunday, Godwin was leading the NFL with 43 receptions, ranking third in receiving yards with 511, and tying for the most touchdown catches (five) with Evans, Ja’Marr Chase, George Kittle, and Allen Lazard.
The Bucs (4-2) are coming off a huge 51-point game against New Orleans, where Godwin had 11 catches for 125 yards and two touchdowns. They will host the Baltimore Ravens (4-2) on Monday night.
Godwin’s strong performance follows an offseason filled with challenges, including mourning his father’s death while also preparing to switch to the slot receiver position, a role he had played earlier in his career.
This change has also helped boost the Bucs’ improved running game since Godwin is a great blocker.
“I think what I learned over the last four or five years, I’m really comfortable there. … It allows me to be involved in other ways instead of just catching the ball,” Godwin said.
Drafted in the third round by the Bucs in 2017, Godwin is a four-time 1,000-yard receiver, though his achievements are sometimes overshadowed by Evans, who is the only receiver in NFL history to start his career with ten straight 1,000-yard seasons.
Godwin was on track for 100 receptions in December 2021 when a serious knee injury cut his season short at 98 catches for 1,103 yards.
Although he recovered well enough to catch 104 passes in 2022 and surpass 1,000 yards for the last two seasons, this year is when Godwin truly feels like he is back to his best.
“I mean, he’s helping as much in the run game as he is in the pass game. … His (performance) speaks for itself,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said, talking about how Tampa Bay rushed for 277 of the franchise-record 594 yards gained against New Orleans.
On one of his two touchdowns against the Saints, Godwin caught a short pass from Baker Mayfield, broke two tackles, and turned it into a 55-yard scoring play.
As of Sunday, Godwin was leading the NFL in yards after catch with 335, which included 105 of the 125 receiving yards he had at New Orleans.
“He’s healthy, he’s competitive, he’s out there having fun. He’s running, he’s catching, he’s blocking,” Bowles said. “You’ve seen the best of what Chris Godwin has right now.”
Baltimore, which has won four straight games after starting 0-2, has the best run defense in the NFL. However, they are 31st against the pass and will face challenges from Evans and Godwin, who coach John Harbaugh said create “tremendous matchup problems.”
“You single (Evans) up, he’s a problem. And then you have (Godwin) in the slot — if you single him up, he’s a problem,” Harbaugh said. “They’re both catch-and-run players; they’re both contested-catch players.”
With Mayfield also having a strong start in first-year offensive coordinator Liam Coen’s system, the Bucs have a top 10 offense, averaging 29.7 points per game.
One of the keys has been involving playmakers besides Godwin and Evans. Rookie Bucky Irving is the team’s leading rusher, and second-year player Sean Tucker is expected to get more playing time against the Ravens after scoring twice and gaining 192 yards from scrimmage last week.
“It’s one thing when a guy is going off because you feed the hot hand, right? But, if we’re able to spread the ball around, everybody gets involved,” Godwin said.
“And then as the game progresses, you have so much more at your disposal than just the handful of plays that were working early on,” he added. “So, when a team makes adjustments, now you have answers for it.”
Just don’t ever expect the Bucs to forget Godwin is one of the answers. “Chris is a reliable guy,” said Mayfield, who admires the consistency of both Godwin and Evans, Tampa Bay’s all-time leader in receiving and scoring.
“It’s how smart he is, understanding the defense and the coverages, understanding what we’re trying to get done within our own concepts, and (he’s) a guy that is all about winning,” Mayfield said. “He’s playing really well, feels good (and) we have to keep him going.”
