Antonio Brown’s ankle sprain will keep him sidelined for Monday night’s game against the Giants, Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians told reporters on Saturday. The former All-Pro receiver will miss his fifth consecutive game. Brown has not practiced since sustaining the injury.
While Brown is out, Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski is in line to play after missing time recently with a back injury. Gronkowski was a full participant during this week’s practices.
Despite only playing in five games, Brown is third on the Buccaneers with 418 receiving yards. He is tied for second on the team with four touchdown catches and is fourth on the team with 29 receptions. In his last two games, Brown caught 16 of 21 targets for 217 yards and three touchdowns.
With Brown and Gronkowski dealing with injuries, Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady has had to lean more on receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Godwin leads the Buccaneers with 57 catches for 717 yards along with four touchdown receptions. Evans has 41 catches for 606 yards and a team-high nine touchdown receptions.
The Buccaneers’ offense will face a Giants defense that currently ranks 19th in the NFL in scoring and passing, 21st in rushing, 11th in third-down efficiency and seventh in red-zone efficiency.
