Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin remembers his team’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the season, but that was then and this is now.
With the Buccaneers getting set for a rematch with the Eagles in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Monday night, Godwin reflected on Tampa Bay’s initial meeting with Philadelphia back in Week 3.
“We’ve evolved so much,” Godwin said, via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “Just going through an entire season, figuring out who you are, going through the ups and downs of a season, you know, things have changed in a lot of ways. So, I’m excited about the opportunity, but at the same time, they’ve changed as well. Surely, they’re going to come into the game with a different game plan and plan to attack us in a different way. Obviously, we have already played this year, but things will be different this week.”
Philly won that first matchup by a score of 25-11 at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 25. Godwin logged three catches for 32 yards in the loss.
The Bucs fell to 2-1 and with that defeat and proceeded to go into a bit of a tailspin, losing five of six games overall. That included a four-game losing streak between Weeks 6 and 9.
However, the Buccaneers and Eagles went in opposite directions to close out the regular season, with Tampa Bay winning five of its last six contests and Philadelphia losing five of six.
Godwin, who is actually a Philly native, played in every game this season and hauled in 83 receptions for 1,024 yards and a couple of touchdowns, marking his third straight 1,000-yard campaign.
The 27-year-old played his collegiate football at Penn State and was selected by the Bucs in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
After a couple of solid years to begin his professional career, Godwin broke out in his third season, catching 86 passes for 1,333 yards and nine scores. That represents his lone Pro Bowl appearance thus far.
We’ll see if Chris Godwin and the Buccaneers can exact some revenge next week.
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