“A Real Chance [Emeka Egbuka] Is Going To Be Out There Tonight”
October 20th, 2025
“Schefty, I’ll text you later.”
About 1 p.m. today, NFL super insider Adam Schefter was very upbeat about Bucs rookie wide receiver Emeka Egbuka’s prospects for playing tonight in Detroit.
Joe watched Schefter answer a question about Bucs injuries live on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN TV.
Schefter had a major bounce of optimism in his voice when it came to Egbuka.
As Joe has written many times, Schefter has a direct pipeline to One Buc Palace. It helps that Schefter is from the same hometown as Bucs assistant general manager Mike Greenberg, and that Schefter’s employer pays billions to air NFL games.
“I think Mike Evans is going to wind up playing, and I think to the surprise of many, Emeka Egbuka has a real chance to play tonight,” Schefter said with gusto.
“They’re going to test him pregame to make a final determination. But as I was told over the weekend, I think it was trending toward his playing. … I think there’s a real chance he’s going to be out there tonight.”
Egbuka left last week’s game against San Francisco with a hamstring injury. He had two catches for 24 yards.
No update yet from Schefter on his dark but vague declaration that the Bucs have lost two starting offensive linemen for the year.
October 20th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
22 yr old’s heel faster then 32 yr old’s
October 20th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
Fire the Cannons…
October 20th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
The way Egbuka was standing on the sideline last week with helmet strapped up ready to go, had me thinking it wasn’t serious and we could see him back already. I’d bet this is true and hopefully there is no re aggravation.
We are gonna see some kinda stupidity tonight. Whether it’s a bad Baker game or bad D game or just horrible officiating. Something stinks cause with Evans and Emeka in the game, no way we should be 6 pt dogs.
October 20th, 2025 at 1:22 pm
would be huge for my 22.5/1 OROTY Egbuka wager
October 20th, 2025 at 1:37 pm
I agree Sasbucs – why is the spread so High? It makes no sense with the Bucs ranked #1 in the NFC.
6 points defies logic. The Bucs need to run up the score to send a message to THE NFL
October 20th, 2025 at 1:41 pm
Schefter’s silence suggests this little fella got caught guessing with his Bucs O-Line injury prognostications or simply misspoke thinking Man-Beast Cody Mauch is actually 2 human beings.
October 20th, 2025 at 2:14 pm
The entire Lions secondary is out, and Evans and Egbuka are playing. Bucs should be favored by 6, not dogs by 6. I agree that’s really weird, and I read most Vegas money is still going to the Lions. That’s stupefying.
October 20th, 2025 at 2:21 pm
Jalon Walker has played through (returning too early from) a ‘hamstring’ ever since August… And, has mostly been ‘ineffective’ all season. NOW, he has a GROIN. Same exact thing happened to me my SOPH season as a Starting-PG on my HS Basketball team (a good team, too). Pulled hamstring running track during preseason conditioning… THEN, BOTH groins. Never got to play a single game that year, at FULL-strength (and had a bad knee too, lol). I also, pulled BOTH groins and a hamstring during my Freshman season. So, I made SURE (or so I ‘thought’) to take “stretching” very seriously, going into that SOPH season. But, then I even took it (stretching) to ANOTHER LEVEL, during my entire Junior season LoL stretchin’ TF out of it (my best friend, the 2G, would laugh his ace off at me, since he never pulled’ ANYTHING, or even broke a sweat – LAZYAF)… Hell, I took-it SERIOUS LoL. And, thankfully, I never experienced the first problem that season… I REALLY did stretch them as HARD as I could though, Lmao. Was tired of it! But, the main deal is you HAVE TO ‘rest it’ for as long as it takes, and have it heal completely! Otherwise, it’s going to remain an ongoing issue throughout the entire rest of the season. The thing with Mike though, it seems-like it will always be an ‘issue’ regardless, since it always has been. So, I guess, he might as well ‘go’ tonight, until he hurts it again!? I’ve just never heard of anyone before, having a ‘permanent’ hamstring problem like this, for THIS LONG!? If he is NOT completely ’healed’ and has a good shot at eventually doing so, if given another 2-3 weeks, then I would let him sit. My guess, is that Mike is really pushing them hard for that 1000-yard mark.
October 20th, 2025 at 2:26 pm
Dan , I got 40-1 so I too am hoping EE is trending to play
October 20th, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Id save Buka for the 2nd half if we’re down in points. Id hate to see him rush back too soon and make the injry worse….i think thats what happened to Evans last year. I want him to take it easy too, but its the nfl, hard to go easy.
October 20th, 2025 at 2:30 pm
Go Egbuka and Evans shred that Lions D!
Bucs 24 Lions 20.
Go Bucs!!!
October 20th, 2025 at 2:33 pm
I’d go to my doctors, & etc. They’d all just say EVERY damn time, that the only thing you can do is rest-it. “Hell, I CAN’T. It’s in the middle of the season!?” So, LOTS of ‘nutt-burns” with icy-hot and all that crap LoL. Sucked pretty bad. Never being able to play without severe pain… EVER. Soooo frustrating.
October 20th, 2025 at 2:36 pm
Hell, I was “Defensive” POY that year, too… Shew, I don’t see HOW, now!?
October 20th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
I wonder if some of these guys are stretched so loose that they are injuring themselves by hyperextending when the stretch out on some of those super athletic plays.
That is what it looked like to me when Mike went down last year trying to really reach for the ball – he seemed to have made the play until a jolt of pain took his concentration off of the ball.
Sometimes, it may better to just go to the ground, making the catch and saving the body.
October 20th, 2025 at 2:58 pm
If we get the lead we should run up the score. We need to get them down and make sure they stay down. That’s what the “killer instinct” is all about.
Go Bucs!!
October 20th, 2025 at 3:03 pm
We 6 pt dogs because America has their money on Detroit we dem boys this year and they tend to fix the guys betting with the favorites on prime time hence what happened to Buffalo last week lol let the good times roll fellas we bout to put the league on alert tonight the way we drag the cat tonight
October 20th, 2025 at 3:17 pm
Vegas knows what they’re doing? It isn’t about the team, it’s about the money spent. TB has had an awful lot of close games and the game is in Detroit. The bettors go where the money is. Personally, I’m taking the points all day long and hoping that they win outright. Where it gets really spooky is on over and under scores. How do they do that?
October 20th, 2025 at 3:21 pm
Home field is typically worth 3, and a primetime non division game it can go as high as 4. The line at 6.5 seems appropriate, especially considering the injuries. On a neutral field, this would be worth 2.
October 20th, 2025 at 3:47 pm
Regarding 6-point spread:
Lions are PO after loss last week. On a mission. Especially Gibbs who had lackluster night of receiving.
Love me some BakerMagic but he’s used up 8.5 lives already.
Both teams touched by injuries, but Bucs a bit more overall.
The Lions offensive firepower is deep at RB and WR and TE. These guys save Goff from disaster every week. That Lions offensive arsenal can overwhelm and I predict will tonight.
October 20th, 2025 at 3:58 pm
They said we would lose to ATL,,, they said we would lose to Houston,,, they said we would lose to Seattle and SF ,,, and they say we will lose tonight ,,, so nothing to lose ,,, go out there and let it rip
October 20th, 2025 at 4:09 pm
TBBF – O/U is based off both teams 4-8-16 previous games rolling averages along with AI assistance and access to data elements not shared with the public. That’s why if you watch the odds during the game, you’ll see the lines move. All else fails, there’s always unchallengeable penalties, booth only reviews (especially in the final 2 minutes), and phantom holding and PI calls/no calls.
Watch the opening segments on the pregame, and listen to the commentators storylines they push at the beginning of the game. Guaranteed, those same elements and storylines will be in the spotlight during the final 4 minutes.
October 20th, 2025 at 4:15 pm
Sask – great point. Ebuka didn’t leave the game at all. Mike went straight to the locker room while limping. Seems to me the Bucs were exercising an extreme abundance of caution, and for good reason.
October 20th, 2025 at 4:38 pm
Everyone is different. Some have a predisposition for having hamstring problems, some don’t. Age is also a big factor I would think at least with regard to how fast healing occurs. Nobody has all the answers.
October 20th, 2025 at 5:03 pm
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Egbuka is “good to go” for tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
October 20th, 2025 at 5:09 pm
Yes that’s what mentioned in another thread he just standing there, like he disappointed that they wouldn’t let him back in the game. Man I hope he plays, but he doesn’t I don’t want to him until after the bye.
October 20th, 2025 at 5:36 pm
You crybabies worried about what might happen, grow a set. The Bucs need to win this game, and he’s one of your top players. If he’s ready to play, he’s ready to play.
October 20th, 2025 at 5:42 pm
Meka is good to go you say? If that’s the case I’m wearing my tOSU #2 jersey tonight! Wooohoo! If him and ME13 are playing tonight than I’m even more excited for this MNF than I already was, and I get to watch on my tv instead of the phone to boot since natty tv! Baker bout to bake! Where is the most recent updated injury reports listed? I’m so psyched!!! Let’s go Bucs!!! 🏈🏆🌎!!!
October 20th, 2025 at 5:46 pm
Evans and Egbuka both get 150+ yards tonight.
Bucs 48, Lions 38
October 20th, 2025 at 5:47 pm
I’m guessing he just had a minor tweak and they didn’t want to risk him going down for an extended period with Evans and Godwin down already. I don’t think it was much of an injury at all and that’s why he’s likely to play. We’ll see. If Evans and Egbuka are both good to go tonight, the Bucs have a chance to light it up if they keep Hutch under control (please hit him with a TE or RB while he’s engaged with Heck. Don’t need to get Baker killed tonight.
October 20th, 2025 at 5:49 pm
Rod, I’m 100% with you. Well I wouldn’t say ‘need’ necessarily for a week 8 match-up but we certainly do have pesky Carolina not far behind us, our division not the easy run up it may have been the past couple seasons anymore, and of course it’s a super important game in the race for the #1 seed because a bye in week 1 of the playoffs is way more valuable than the mid-season bye fr… and this is freaking MNF, we gotta ball the F out the way we all know we’re capable of, or I’ll be bummed all week… so yeah, we need to win like you said
October 20th, 2025 at 5:53 pm
Got it on Bucs Radio. EE2 will play tonight. Fingers and toes will be x’ed. As far as the gamblers go, bleh. Go Bucs!! Defang the Lions, and outwit the refs!! 6-1!!