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Buccaneers All-Pro offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs is a key component in protecting Tom Brady.
The seven-time Super Bowl winning quarterback and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers enter today's Divisional Round of the NFC playoffs looking to advance to the NFC Championship game with a win over the Los Angeles Rams.
But it will be a monumental task with the slew of injuries the team has recently amassed.
In last week's 31-15 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round of the playoffs, Tristan suffered an ankle injury. With the protection of Tom Brady being perhaps the most important factor in the game, will he be able to play today?
Tristan Wirfs is out for the Buccaneers' game against the Rams
When the Pro Bowl tackle suffered an ankle injury last week against the Eagles, he was unable to finish the game. Buccaneers fans are now anxious to know if their Pro Bowl offensive tackle will be ready to take the field today.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, he will miss the game today against the Rams. This means that Tom Brady will be without the services of the All-Pro tackle against Aaron Donald and company.
This really comes as a major blow to the Bucs. Just a few days ago, NFL insider Ian Rapoport was a guest on The Pat McAfee Show, and he said the following about Wirfs and center Ryan Jensen's chances of playing today (which is now out of the window with Wirfs being ruled out):
"I think there's a really good chance Tristan Wirfs and Ryan Jensen will be playing for the Bucs on Sunday."
Can the Buccaneers win without several key players at full health?
In addition to Tristan Wirfs being ruled out for today's game, the Buccaneers will also reportedly welcome back starting running back Leonard Fournette. 'Playoff Lenny,' as he is commonly known by many fans and players, suffered a hamstring injury towards the latter part of the season.
He has been activated off Injured Reserve, so he is expected to play today against the Rams.
Backup receivers Cyril Grayson (hamstring) and Breshad Perriman (hip/abdomen) are listed as questionable and out for the game, respectively.
This is a significant update as the team is already without Pro Bowl receiver Chris Godwin (out for the season with a torn ACL) and Antonio Brown (released from the team).
With the San Francisco 49ers defeating the Green Bay Packers 13-10 in last night's Divisional Round of the playoffs, the winner of the Buccaneers vs. Rams game will host a playoff game next week.
