TAMPA, Fla. -- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a disastrous 40-7 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, but to make matters worse, they lost running back Doug Martin early in the first quarter.

The two-time Pro Bowler left with a hamstring injury and did not return. Bucs coach Dirk Koetter said Martin will have an MRI on Tuesday.

“Well, I’m not a doctor, but when you see it on the film, he did it on a cut," Koetter said Monday. "It was a pitch play to our right and when Doug planted, he said that’s when he did it. You can’t even hardly tell on tape. So I’m just not sure about that, we’ll be getting a more updated report [Tuesday].”

The makeup of the offense changed with backups Charles Sims and newly signed Jacquizz Rodgers on the field. Martin typically touches the ball 20 times a game.

Doug Martin rushed for 23 yards on seven carries before leaving Sunday's game. AP Photo/Brian Blanco

“Of course because Doug’s one of the best running backs in the league, it definitely hurts you, but that’s the NFL," Koetter said. "You’re only healthy for one week, and then you’re hoping that you are fortunate enough to stay healthy the rest of the year. We didn’t have good fortune in that department [Sunday], but this will be a new week.”

Sims isn't the inside runner that Martin is, although he's gotten more powerful with a lowered pad level, something he improved as a pro. And as Koetter pointed out, he's not going to break as many tackles. He is a pass-catching threat, though, and contributes in the screen game and even downfield on some deep passes.

"Really the guy that resembles Doug’s style is probably Jacquizz," Koetter said. "Jacquizz was our No. 2 guy in Atlanta behind both Michael Turner and later Steven Jackson. So if Doug’s out, we still have two good guys there behind him, we’ll be fine.”

The numbers may disagree though. Playing from behind for most of the game, the Bucs only mustered 85 yards on the ground against the Cardinals, well below their 135.1 yards-per-game average in 2015. That was fifth in the league last year, largely because Martin was second in the NFL with 1,402 rushing yards. His 4.9 yards-per-carry average was also better than the league's leading rusher, Adrian Peterson.

Before he left Sunday's game, Martin rushed for 23 yards on seven carries. Rodgers, who signed with the team just last week and is still learning the offense, had two rushes for 29 yards, including a 24-yard run in the third quarter. Sims rushed for 24 yards on nine carries and had three catches for 4 yards.

The Los Angeles Rams, who are this week's opponent, are giving up 108.5 yards per game on the ground, which is 14th in the league. More impressively, they're only giving up 3.3 yards per carry, which is fifth-best in the league. It gets even tougher after that. The Bucs face stifling defenses and last year's Super Bowl teams in Weeks 4 and 5 -- the Denver Broncos come to Raymond James Stadium on Oct. 2 and the Bucs visit the Carolina Panthers for a Monday Night Football matchup in Week 5.

To make matters worse, their best run-blocking tight end, Luke Stocker, whom they carry instead of a traditional fullback, also suffered an ankle injury against the Cardinals and may be out this week as well.

Considering quarterback Jameis Winston had a career-high 52 passing attempts and four interceptions in what is supposed to be a "run-first" offense, losing Martin for any amount of time would hurt significantly.