Halfway through last season, if you would have asked who the frontrunner in the NFC was, a good portion of NFL fans would have responded: "the Detroit Lions."

They had the best offense in the league, and their defense was serviceable enough to get a few stops while the offense ran rampant. They won 15 games in the regular season, but the wheels came off in the playoffs. Why? By the time they welcomed the Commanders to Detroit for the Divisional Round matchup, their defense was so injured they could hardly trot a unit onto the field.

Now, Detroit's window for its first Super Bowl victory might not be closed, but it's certainly not as wide-open as it was when the Lions still had both their coordinators. They missed out on a chance at greatness because their injured reserve was packed to the brim.

In 2025, the team that is toeing that same line thus far is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They entered Monday night's game against the Houston Texans already without All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs, second-year pass-catcher Jalen McMillan and elite wide receiver Chris Godwin, but the bleeding was not staunched there.

During the game, Calijah Kancey, who is crucial to the success of the Tampa defensive line, tore his pectoral and is scheduled to undergo season-ending surgery on Friday. Along with him, starting right tackle Luke Goedeke is now expected to miss multiple weeks after re-aggravating a foot injury. Baker Mayfield and Rachaad White also spent moments being slow to get up after big hits, and Emeka Egbuka was getting a special lower-body wrap that indicates he is not fully healthy.

Now, Lions fans, this might seem disingenuous — comparing a handful of injuries to having 21 players on the IR is not the goal. However, Week 3 is just now beginning. For a team with hopes as lofty as Tampa, seeing these early signs is worrisome.

With Kancey now out for the remainder of the 2025-26 season and Goedeke out for an undisclosed amount of time, the Bucs need to examine how they can keep this winning streak rolling. They currently sit top-10 in the sports books in terms of Super Bowl odds, and in the NFC with the Eagles, Packers, Lions and Rams, seeding will be important.

Fortunately for Tampa, Elijah Roberts, a rookie defensive lineman from SMU, looked incredibly solid after Kancey's leave. In fact, he commanded the highest PFF grade for any defensive lineman, if you're into that.

Unfortunately for Tampa, when Goedeke was sidelined, his replacement—6-foot-8 Charlie Heck—did not look like a long-term bandage. He was a cumbersome asset in the run game, and Houston pass-rushers Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson ate him alive when Mayfield dropped back to pass.

Mauch’s replacement is up in the air, but regardless of who lines up, it will be a step back. If the injury bug continues to bite these Buccaneers, they could be operating with a skeleton crew when they try to make a playoff run in the NFC. Hopefully, their Week 3 matchup with the Jets will be considerably more kind to the players’ health.