Bucs to give young receivers a chance to shine in battle with Falcons for first place in NFC South

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — With first place on the line in the NFC South, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are looking for some young players to grow up fast against the Atlanta Falcons.

The three-time defending division champions lost star receivers Mike Evans (hamstring) and Chris Godwin (ankle) to injuries during their 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens last Monday night.

Baker Mayfield jumpstarted a stalled career with a lot of help from the team’s top playmakers. Now, the NFL’s leader in touchdown passes will have to find a way to win without them.

That means counting on a rejuvenated running game to ease some of the burden on Mayfield and giving a mostly young, unproven group of receivers a chance to make names for themselves.

“It’s going to look different, but that’s OK. And you know what, it’ll be a little bit more creative, and we’ll have some fun with it,” Mayfield said.

“You never know what you can do until you find out what you don’t have. Coach (Bill) Parcells al...
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