Buccaneers' Todd Bowles is under criticism for playing against Chris Godwin before his injury

Todd Bowles doesn't doubt the potentially season-changing decision to have Chris Godwin on the field late Monday night in a game the Buccaneers had virtually no chance of winning.

Godwin suffered what Bowles called a dislocated left ankle that “doesn't look good” while trailing by 10 with about a minute left in the 41-31 home loss to the Ravens.

The veteran was carted off the field and is “very likely” out for the season, according to NFL Network. According to another NFL Network report, he is scheduled to undergo ankle surgery later this week.

“He’s a player, we’re trying to win the ball game,” Bowles said. “We were still down 10 points. We try to get extra points and get another onside kick, it just happened.”

Bowles has come under fire for having Godwin on the field late in Monday's game, as at that point the Ravens had a 99.9 percent chance of winning the game, according to ESPN's win probability tool.

Some wondered whether chasing that 0.01 percent chance of winning was worth the potential downside, which in this case meant losing one of the NFL's best receivers this season.

Bowles explained that the Buccaneers' options were limited because Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury early in the game, leaving them with only four receivers available.

The game wasn't technically over, either, as the Buccaneers had already recovered an onside kick and only needed points on the drive to have a chance at a tie or win.

Tampa Bay ultimately didn't score on the drive.

Bowles downplayed the idea that Godwin should have been retained for the final drive since the team could already be without Evans for the foreseeable future.

“You could say that because he got hurt. We have no doubts,” Bowles said. “We have our boys, we play against whoever we have. It's unfortunate that he got hurt and we're sorry about that, but he's a football player and he wanted to be in the game just like (quarterback) Baker (Mayfield) and everyone else wanted to be in the game.”

Bowles also disputed the notion that he might not have protected his players even if they wanted to be on the field for that final drive.

“I protect my players at all times,” Bowles said. “It has nothing to do with why we left him in the ball game. We still had a chance to score a few points and win the ball game. It happened. That’s what happens in football.”

The Buccaneers now face the prospect of winning the NFC South without Godwin and may need to stay afloat while Evans deals with his hamstring injury.

Godwin ranks first in the league in targets and second in receiving yards.

Bowles noted that the team will explore what trade options are available, with the Jets' Mike Williams known as one of the receivers on the trading block despite not filling the position Godwin held.

The Buccaneers are 2.5-point underdogs at home in Week 8 against the division-leading Falcons in a game that could decide which team wins the division.

“Our prayers go out to him,” Bowles said. “Chris is a great player and he is a great person, more than that. There's not much you can say. You feel sorry for him. Unfortunately they won't cancel the games and we have to stop and move on. But our hearts are heavy.”