Buccaneers Offense Hits Rock Bottom: Mayfield Out, McMillan to IR

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are officially entering the darkest timeline. Just days after dropping an ugly 23-16 game to the Minnesota Vikings, the injury bug did not just bite them—it swallowed their offense whole.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, wide receiver Jalen McMillan is heading to Injured Reserve, meaning he is shelved for a mandatory minimum of four games. But that roster move is only the appetizer to the main course of misery for Tampa Bay fans.

"Adam Schefter reported the McMillan IR move and Mayfield's three-week timeline."

Baker Mayfield is also out for at least three weeks. To stop the bleeding, Tampa Bay went out and signed Brett Rypien to the practice squad. If your team's emergency plan involves signing a journeyman quarterback to the practice squad in late September, you are not tweaking the engine. You are watching the car roll into a lake.

Losing Mayfield completely changes the math for this team. He has been the engine keeping this offense afloat, and without him, the entire playbook shrinks. Add in the loss of McMillan, and whoever is taking snaps under center is going to be throwing to a depleted receiver room while running for their life.

This double-whammy of injuries is going to send shockwaves through the betting markets. You can expect Tampa Bay's spreads and team totals to plummet over the next month. Oddsmakers do not respect practice squad quarterback additions, and neither should anyone looking at the board.

The Buccaneers now have to figure out how to survive the next month without their starting quarterback and a key weapon. If they cannot find a spark immediately, this three-week stretch could easily bury their season before Halloween.