Jacquizz Rodgers injured in Bucs loss to Raiders

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost to the Oakland Raiders in one of the weirdest games I’ve ever seen. Both teams had multiple opportunities to win the game, and the Raiders set an NFL record for penalties, but ultimately walked away with the victory after a pair of missed tackles in overtime.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s some more bad news for the Bucs. Late in the fourth quarter, running back Jacquizz Rodgers was forced to leave the game with a foot injury. It’s not clear how serious the injury is, but Rodgers could not return to play and was almost immediately ruled out — which suggests it is, at least, a clear enough injury to keep him out for a while.

That presents the Bucs with some serious problems at running back. Doug Martin has yet to return to practice, and it’s unclear when he’ll return to play. With Charles Sims on injured reserve, the Bucs are down to boom-or-bust veteran Antone Smith and undrafted rookie Peyton Barber to carry the running game.

Making matters worse is the fact that the Bucs play the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, giving Rodgers and Martin very little time to get healthy and ready to play. In other words: the running game that was supposed to be a strength, is now down to its fourth- and fifth options.