Pittman was carried off the field in the second quarter of Tampa Bay’s 33-14 loss Sunday to Indianapolis. Buccaneers Coach Jon Gruden said Monday that Pittman was diagnosed with a severely sprained right ankle and would miss six to eight weeks of play.

He is the third running back the Buccaneers have lost to injury since training camp. Carnell "Cadillac" Williams suffered a season-ending torn patellar tendon in his right knee Sept. 30 and Mike Alstott was placed on injured reserve in August.

"It is tough," Gruden said. "We've lost Mike Alstott (in the offseason), Mike Pittman and Carnell Williams, the three guys who were obviously the go-to ball-handlers the last couple years around here."

Gruden is expected to turn to fourth-year running back Earnest Graham as his prime running back, although he didn’t rule out the possibility of a trade.