Feeling like his old self again, Chris Godwin is flourishing in Tampa Bay's offense

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Chris Godwin is back, even if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver who’s a model of consistency never actually went away.

But nearly three years removed from a serious knee injury he feels is finally behind him, the longtime sidekick of Mike Evans is flourishing like never before.

Entering play Sunday, Godwin led the NFL in receptions (43), ranked third in receiving yards (511) and was tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions (five) with Evans, Ja’Marr Chase, George Kittle and Allen Lazard.

The Bucs (4-2), coming off a 51-point outburst against New Orleans in which Godwin had 11 catches for 125 yards and two TDs, host the Baltimore Ravens (4-2) on Monday night.

Godwin’s strong start has followed an offseason in which he grieved the death of his father while also preparing for a move to slot receiver on the field, a role he filled earlier in his career.

The position change has also helped the Bucs’ rejuvenated running game, which is benefitting from Godwin being an excellent blocker.

“I think what I learned over the last four or five years, I’m really comfortable there. … It allows me to be involved in other ways instead of just catching the ball,” Godwin said.

A third-round draft pick of the Bucs in 2017, Godwin is a four-time 1,000-yard receiver whose accomplishments are sometimes overshadowed by the remarkable consistency of Evans, the only receiver in NFL history to begin a career with 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

Godwin was closing in on 100 receptions in December 2021, when a severe knee injury ended his season with 98 catches for 1,103 yards.

And although he recovered well enough to catch 104 passes in 2022 and top 1,000 yards each of the past two seasons, it took Godwin until this year to begin feeling like he’s truly back.

“I mean, he’s helping as much in the run game as he is in the pass game. … His (performance) speaks for itself,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles said, reflecting on Tampa Bay rushing for 277 of the franchise-record 594 yards the Bucs gained at New Orleans.

On one of his two touchdowns against the Saints, Godwin took a short reception from Baker Mayfield, broke two tackles and turned it into a 55-yard scoring play.

Entering Sunday, Godwin led the NFL in yards after catch with 335, including 105 of the 125 yards receiving he had at New Orleans.

“He’s healthy, he’s competitive, he’s out there having fun. He’s running, he’s catching, he’s blocking,” Bowles said. “You’ve seen the best of what Chris Godwin has right now.”

Baltimore, which has won four straight following an 0-2 start, has the NFL’s top-ranked run defense. The Ravens are 31st against the pass and will be tested by Evans and Godwin, who coach John Harbaugh said pose “tremendous matchup problems.”

“You single (Evans) up, he’s a problem. And then you have (Godwin) in the slot — if you single him up, he’s a problem,” Harbaugh said. “They’re both catch-and-run players; they’re both contested-catch players.”

With Mayfield also off to a strong start in first-year offensive coordinator’s Liam Coen’s system, the Bucs have a top 10 offense and are averaging 29.7 points per game.

One of the keys has been getting playmakers other than Godwin and Evans involved. Rookie Bucky Irving is the team’s leading rusher, and second-year pro Sean Tucker figures to get more playing time against the Ravens after scoring twice and accumulating 192 yards from scrimmage last week.

“It’s one thing when a guy is going off because you feed the hot hand, right? But, if we’re able to spread the ball around, everybody gets involved,” Godwin said.

“And then as the game progresses, you have so much more at your disposal than just the handful of plays that were working early on,” the receiver added. “So, when a team makes adjustments, now you have answers for it.”

Just don’t ever expect the Bucs to forget Godwin is one of the answers.

“Chris is a reliable guy,” said Mayfield, who marvels at the consistency of both Godwin and Evans, Tampa Bay’s career receiving and scoring leader.

“It’s how smart he is, understanding the defense and the coverages, understanding what we’re trying to get done within our own concepts, and (he’s) a guy that is all about winning,” Mayfield said. “He’s playing really well, feels good (and) we have to keep him going.”

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Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) celebrates as he leaves the field following an NFL football game against New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin (14) runs against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin runs toward the end zone to score against the New Orleans Saints during the second half of an NFL football game in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Oregon became the fourth team this season to hold the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press college football poll, moving into the top spot on Sunday for the first time in 12 years after Texas lost at home to Georgia.

Vanderbilt made its first appearance since the 2013 season, at No. 25, and defending national champion Michigan fell out after a second straight loss dropped it to 4-3.

Unbeaten Oregon followed its one-point home win over Ohio State with its first road shutout in 32 years, a 35-0 rout of Purdue, and received 59 of 61 first-place votes.

Georgia, which has won three straight games since its loss to Alabama, made a three-spot jump to No. 2 on the strength of its 30-15 win at previously No. 1 Texas. The Bulldogs got the other two first-place votes.

No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Penn State were idle Saturday and held their spots. Texas dropped to No. 5 after Georgia held it 28 points under its scoring average.

Miami prevailed in a wild game at Louisville and remained No. 6, and Tennessee rose four spots to No. 7 following its win over Alabama. LSU, Clemson and Iowa State rounded out the top 10.

No team this season has held the No. 1 spot for more than three straight weeks. Georgia topped the poll in the preseason but a one-point win at unranked Kentucky in Week 3 bumped the Bulldogs out. Texas took over for two weeks, then gave way to Alabama following the Crimson Tide's win over Georgia.

Alabama lasted one week at No. 1, getting upset at Vanderbilt after its win over Georgia. That allowed Texas to return to the top for two weeks.

Chip Kelly was coach of the only other Oregon teams to reach No. 1. The 2012 Ducks, led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, were in the top spot for one week in November 2012 after following a 10-0 start with a loss to Stanford. The 2010 team, which lost to Auburn in the BCS title game, spent six weeks at No. 1.

This marks the first time since 2012 that four teams will play a game as the No. 1 team in the same season. Oregon was among the four that year. The others were Southern California, Alabama and Notre Dame. The other seasons since 2000 with four or more No. 1 teams were 2007 (4), 2008 (6) and 2010 (4).

Tennessee's 24-17 win over Alabama produced the biggest moves in the poll. The Volunteers jumped from No. 11 to No. 7. The Crimson Tide dropped eight spots to No. 15, their lowest ranking since 2010.

Texas' loss to Georgia was the first by a No. 1 team at home against a top-five opponent since Miami beat Florida State 17-16 in 1991.

Vanderbilt’s previous ranking was No. 24 in the final poll of the 2013 season. The Commodores, who beat Ball State to improve to 5-2, are off to their best start since opening 5-0 in 2008. That also was the last time Vandy was ranked in the regular season.

Michigan, which scored its fewest points in a game since 2014 in its 21-7 loss at Illinois, had been ranked in 54 consecutive polls since 2021.

SEC 9 — (Nos. 2, 5, 7, 8, 14, 15, 18, 21, 25).

Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 1, 3, 4, 13, 20).

ACC — 4 (Nos. 6, 9, 19, 22).

Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 10, 11, 16).

American — 2 (Nos. 23, 24).

Mountain West — 1 (No. 17).

Independent — 1 (No. 12).

—No. 20 Illinois at No. 1 Oregon. The Illini play the top-ranked team for the first time since 2007. They won 28-21 at Ohio State that year.

—No. 5 Texas at No. 25 Vanderbilt. First matchup since these teams met 12 times between 1899-1928. Commodores haven't beaten two Top 25 opponents in the same season since 2008.

—No. 8 LSU at No. 14 Texas A&M. This has become one of the SEC's better series lately. The teams have split their last three meetings.

—No. 12 Notre Dame at No. 24 Navy. This will be the 11th time in 97 meetings, and first since 2019, that both teams are ranked when they meet.

—No. 21 Missouri at No. 15 Alabama. Nothing comes easily for either team this season. The two-loss Crimson Tide haven't dropped three games before November since 2006.

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore puts his head down in a news conference after his team's 21-7 loss to Illinois in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

Michigan quarterback Jack Tuttle stands on the sidelines in the closing minutes of the team's 21-7 loss to Illinois in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, in Champaign, Ill. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)