Buccaneers running back Ronald Jones didn’t get the same chance to redeem himself that wide receiver Chris Godwin got on Monday night.
Godwin lost a fumble late in the fourth quarter, but was on the field to make a key catch on the game-winning drive a few minutes later. Jones lost a fumble on his sixth offensive snap and didn’t play another one for the rest of the night.
Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians was asked at a Friday press conference why Jones didn’t get back on the field.
“He struggled mentally to get over it,” Arians said, via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.
Leonard Fournette handled most of the work in the backfield after Jones came out of the game and Giovani Bernard had a couple of catches on the team’s final possession, so the Buccaneers didn’t lack other options over the final two-and-a-half quarters. We’ll find out if they stick with those two backs against the Falcons in Week Two.