Antoine Winfield Jr. leaves the Bears game with an ankle injury

Antoine Winfield Jr. left the Buccaneers' 27-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, November 8, with an ankle injury and did not return. He got hurt late in the first half, and the team ruled him out for the rest of the game (CBS Sports/RotoWire, ClutchPoints, November 8).

Key facts

• Antoine Winfield Jr. injured his ankle late in the first half of the 27-24 loss to the Chicago Bears on November 8 and did not return (CBS Sports/RotoWire, ClutchPoints, November 8).
• Ifeatu Melifonwu took on more of the primary safety role after Winfield left (CBS Sports/RotoWire, November 8).
• Tykee Smith intercepted Caleb Williams in the second quarter in the same game (Pro Football Talk, Buccaneers.com, November 8).
• No diagnosis or return date had been published in the sources we read by the morning of November 9.
• The Buccaneers, 3-6, have their bye in Week 10 and play at the Detroit Lions on November 22 at 1:00 PM ET, 19:00 CET (Buccaneers.com, November 9).

What we know

The injury happened in the final minutes before halftime at Soldier Field. After Winfield went to the sideline, Ifeatu Melifonwu took on more of the primary safety role (CBS Sports/RotoWire). On SI wrote that Tykee Smith stepped up in the secondary, and Smith finished with an interception of Caleb Williams in the second quarter (On SI, Pro Football Talk).

The sources we read give no diagnosis beyond "ankle" and no return date. We will update this article when the team says more.

A second injury in a month

This is a different injury from the one that kept Winfield out earlier this season. On October 5, Bowles said he had a slight rib fracture and would miss Thursday's game at Dallas, with an absence of two to four weeks. BucsWorld covered that in Antoine Winfield Jr. is out for Dallas with a rib fracture.

Why the bye week matters

Week 10 is a bye, so the Bucs do not play again until Sunday, November 22, at the Detroit Lions. Kickoff at Ford Field is 1:00 PM ET, 19:00 CET (Buccaneers.com). The first injury report for the Lions game will show where Winfield stands. Until then his status is open.

The secondary is not the only unit dealing with absences. Edge rusher Yaya Diaby was out against Chicago with a Grade 2 MCL sprain; our Diaby report has the details. The full Bears recap covers the game, and the depth chart shows how the safety group is set up. You can also follow the schedule.

The defense without its safety

The Bears game was the second time this season an injury took Winfield out of a game. The defense still forced five takeaways in Chicago, with Smith, Zyon McCollum and Alex Anzalone intercepting Williams, and lost anyway (Pro Football Talk). The question for the next two weeks is simple: what the team says about the ankle, and whether he practices when the Lions week begins.