Week Two was a nightmare for the Buccaneers offense as quarterback Jameis Winston turned the ball over five times in a 40-7 loss to the Cardinals that also saw running back Doug Martin leave early because of a hamstring injury.
Martin downplayed the severity of the injury after the game, but there was enough concern about his condition that Martin went to have an MRI on Tuesday. The results of that MRI reportedly show enough damage for Martin to be out of the lineup for a while.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Martin will miss about three weeks because of the injury. That would keep him out for home games against the Rams and Broncos in the next two weeks and the Buccaneers are on the road in Carolina in Week Five. There’s a bye after that, so Martin would go five weeks between games if he misses the next three.
Charles Sims would be the lead back in Martin’s absence. Peyton Barber and Jacquizz Rodgers round out the running back options on the active roster in Tampa.