Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans may have been holding out some hope that Antonio Brown could return this week.
He has not played since October 14, which is a tough blow for the Buccaneers offense as he had 418 yards in five games played.
An ankle injury has been the culprit and from the start there was a six-week recovery timetable.
Brown was officially ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, which makes sense given that official timetable.
When Bucs’ WR Antonio Brown initially hurt his ankle on a Thursday night at Philadelphia, team doctors told him it would be a six-week injury, per a source. This will be the fifth game and sixth week that Brown will be out. Returning next week would be what doctors expected.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 26, 2021
So while this is a bummer for fans, it is all part of the plan for him to return to the field late in the season.
Remaining On Schedule
There is no real cause for concern with Brown unless he is out for several more weeks as the postseason approaches.
That would raise some red flags about how his recovery is going.
However, him being inactive was likely expected by the team and the Buccaneers should have planned for the Colts with that in mind.
A huge bonus is the fact Rob Gronkowski returned last week and is now back in a full capacity.
Him and Tom Brady have a special connection that is tough to replicate, and Gronk can put up huge numbers from the tight end position
The Buccaneers also still have Mike Evans and Chris Godwin at receiver.
Inactive tonight but @AB84 and @RSherman_25 have taken the field… pic.twitter.com/vsx9AIMPjx
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) November 23, 2021
Both players dominate the attention from Brady whenever Brown is not on the field and there is not too much opposing defenses can do to stop the duo.
Brown essentially serves as an added upgrade for this roster.
That means the Buccaneers can give him extra time to recover if needed, and the offense should do just fine in the interim.
Rushing him back to this stacked roster would not make too much sense.
