Following his role in an on-field altercation during the Bucs’ 20-10 win over the Saints in New Orleans on Sunday afternoon, wide receiver Mike Evans received a one-game suspension from the NFL earlier this week.

Evans appealed the suspension and had his hearing on Tuesday, but the NFL has now come back on Wednesday afternoon to announce that the one-game suspension has been upheld. Tampa Bay will be without its No. 1 receiver for Sunday’s home opener against the Packers.

The on-field scuffle escalated quickly, as it began with quarterback Tom Brady looking for a pass interference flag on a throw intended for Scotty Miller. Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore then began jawing at Brady, who responded with some choice words of his own.

Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Leonard Fournette stepped to Brady’s defense, leading to a punch to the helmet by Lattimore. That drew Evans’ attention, as the eight-time 1,000-yard receiver raced over and laid out Lattimore, igniting a short brawl. Evans and Lattimore were ejected from the game.

From that point on, Tampa Bay dominated, outscoring New Orleans 17-7 the rest of the way while forcing four fourth-quarter turnovers.

Losing Evans For Week 3 Is A Tough Price To Pay

Whether that fourth-quarter dust-up was the spark the Bucs needed to win on Sunday or not, it comes at major cost. The Bucs missing a receiver like Evans for an important NFC showdown with the Packers is a big deal. Bucs head coach Todd Bowles acknowledged as much on Monday.

“Like I said, the fighting alone loses a player for the next game [and] it hurts our team because we lose a very good ballplayer,” Bowles said. “We don’t want that, we don’t condone it and we’ve got to move forward and try to find a way to win without him. But that should be a lesson to all of our other players.”

As for whether Evans crossed a line in stepping up for his quarterback and teammates, Bowles said there’s a certain way to go about it.

“It’s always a fine line. This is a controlled-aggression game,” he said. “It’s a controlled-aggression game and you try to protect your teammates, but you’ve got to do it the right way.”

Bucs WR Mike Evans and QB Tom Brady – Photo by: USA Today

Brady, on the other hand, spoke glowingly this week about Evans and the willingness he showed to come to his defense in the heat of Sunday’s game.

“I love Mike,” Brady said on his Let’s Go! podcast this week. “And the fact that Mike would come out there to defend me, it means everything in the world to me as a teammate and a friend. And Mike knows how I feel about him. So in the end, emotions are a part of sports. Sometimes they boil over and they obviously did yesterday. And it’s an unfortunate circumstance.

“I don’t think it deserved any type of suspension. I think that’s ridiculous. You know hopefully we can move past it, get to a better place. You know in the end, I appreciate Mike having my back. I know he’ll learn from it. And he knows that we all have is back.”

How Will Tampa Bay Handle Evans’ Absence?

Even before Evans’ ejection and his subsequent suspension, the Bucs’ receiving corps was short handed. The team has to hope it will be in better shape come Sunday afternoon at Raymond James Stadium. It would help if they could get at least one of its injured receivers back, as Chris Godwin (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) missed Sunday’s game against the Saints. Jones may be the likelier of the two to return for Green Bay, as he was a game-time decision in Week 2. Godwin’s hamstring injury appears more week-to-week.

The Bucs will also lean more on Russell Gage and Breshad Perriman in Week 3, though the offense is likely to continue emphasizing the run game like it has through the first two games of the season. The newly signed Cole Beasley may be forced into early action as well, giving Brady another weapon to throw to.

Of course, the Tampa Bay offense is still finding its footing early in the season. Bowles’ defense has been the story of the first two games, and it’s likely to be the driving force if the Bucs can win their third straight game this Sunday.