Somehow, things just keep getting worse for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 

The Bucs needed to overcome almost impossible odds if they wanted to earn their first victory of the season against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday. 

To add to the misery of starting the season 0-3, Tampa has also lost starting quarterback Baker Mayfield to a dislocated thumb he suffered late in the team’s Week 3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings. 

While recent reports suggest Mayfield could return sooner rather than later, the Bucs were forced to hand the keys to the offense to undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels with their season hanging by a thread. 

Joining Mayfield on the sidelines were wide receiver Jalen McMillan, cornerback Benjamin Morrison, and first-round rookie edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr.

Daniels flashed his talent, making a handful of great plays while trying to guide his team to victory. 

However, he also made the kinds of mistakes expected from an undrafted rookie and came up just short in a 17-14 loss, possibly the final nail in the coffin of a lost season. 

To make matters even worse, it looks like the Bucs must now overcome another injury, this time to star safety Antoine Winfield Jr,

Winfield was forced to exit Sunday’s loss in the fourth quarter with what head coach Todd Bowles called an oblique injury. 

Bowles did not provide any specific timeline for how much, if any, time Winfield may miss. 

However, the Bucs are on a short week with a road game against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football. Winfield is going to have to get better in a hurry to have a shot at playing. 

According to Jenna Laine of ESPN, Winfield didn’t look like a player who would be ready to play a game in only four days. 

Laine reported that Winfield was in considerable pain in the locker room after the game and could barely walk. He looked so uncomfortable that Laine was surprised that nobody helped the star safety to his car when he left the stadium. 

That doesn’t bode well for Winfield’s chances to play against the Cowboys on Thursday. 

However, we will likely have to wait for an update on Monday as Tampa begins its preparation for Dallas. 

Every week has brought more and more bad news for the Bucs. 

Just when things look like they can't get any worse, something happens to prove they indeed can. 

Tampa is in a big predicament when it comes to Winfield. On one hand, the team is 0-4, making a return to the playoffs this season almost impossible. 

Normally, there would be no reason for a team seemingly out of playoff contention to rush an injured player back. However, the Bucs play in the NFC South, where only eight wins may be good enough to win the division for a second straight year, still giving Tampa a sliver of hope.

If Tampa is to have any hope of salvaging the season, it will need Winfield on the field. 

However, nothing about this team suggests a turnaround is coming, so hopefully the Bucs do not rush Winfield back until he is 100% healthy.