On Sunday night, the unfortunate trend of events — defined both by constant injuries and poor performances — continued when the Bucs not only lost their primetime game to the Rams in embarrassing fashion, but also lost their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, to a left shoulder injury.

With the Bucs trailing 21-0 in the second quarter, Mayfield scrambled before landing awkwardly among multiple Rams defenders. Shortly thereafter, Mayfield could be seen favoring his left arm before abruptly heading to the blue medical tent. Although the signs were initially discouraging, Mayfield retook the field with his teammates to lead the final drive of the first half.

With just a few seconds remaining before the intermission and the Buccaneers not yet at midfield, the team opted to have their recently banged-up QB attempt a Hail Mary pass. Unfortunately, as soon as the ball left Mayfield’s hand, he fell to the turf, writhing in pain.

Crisis averted?

Although the majority of people watching the game speculated that the injury would require Mayfield to miss significant time, a report from Adam Schefter on Monday presented a level of optimism few expected.

According to Schefter, the Bucs believe Mayfield suffered a sprained AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder. “There was no fracture and no structural damage. One source said the Buccaneers ‘are not ruling out’ Mayfield for Sunday’s game vs. the Cardinals. But today’s MRI will tell more”.

It would be negligent to make the assumption that Mayfield will be good to go as early as next week, even with this optimistic early report from Schefter. The first hurdle for Mayfield to clear will be a positive MRI result. After that — depending on the diagnosis — recovery, treatment and pain management will all be key factors in determining when the Buccaneers can expect to get their QB back.

Still, even the potential that Mayfield could be available for next week’s game would provide a massive boost for a team that has been beaten down of late, both literally and figuratively.