It was revealed that Buccaneers starting running back Ronald Jones II may have fractured a pinkie in Sunday’s win against the Minnesota Vikings. Head coach Bruce Arians on when the injury took place,
“It happened earlier in the game,” Arians stated. “He went back and played with it.”
Wide receiver Chris Godwin had a similar injury and had his pins on his hand removed this past weekend.
Arians gave a comparison to Godwin’s recent injury in his Monday presser;
“Whether they have to put a pin in it or not, we have to wait and see, and I don’t know what that would do. Chris played through it, and we’ll see what happens with him.”
This would explain the decision to play LeSean “Shady” McCoy in Sunday’s win. With Leonard Fournette deemed a healthy scratch on Sunday, McCoy was able to get on the field for the first time in almost two months. Assuming Jones cannot play Sunday against Atlanta, the Buccaneers could rely on Fournette, McCoy, and rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn.
“That’s something we’ll evaluate each week and see which best 47 (players) it is for that ball game to win,”
Jones did return to the game after this injury and compiled 80 yards on 18 carries and a score. Whether or not he did indeed fracture a finger has yet to be confirmed. The decision to sideline Jones if need be maybe in the Buccaneers’ best interest to allow a healthy Jones to play in the postseason if or when they clinch a spot.
Stay tuned to Bucsreport.com for further details!