What was a disappointing night for the Bucs only got worse in the second quarter of Monday night’s game against the Lions.
In an attempt to get points on the board, quarterback Baker Mayfield launched a ball deep to wide receiver Mike Evans, who was making his return after dealing with a hamstring injury. After making an effort to come down with it, the pass fell incomplete with Evans staying on the ground.
The veteran star wideout was obviously in a lot of pain and would later be ruled out with a concussion and a shoulder injury. His loss only amplified a hard-to-watch game.
Mike Evans’ Latest Injury Hurts Bucs’ Offense, His Chance At History
It goes without saying that Mike Evans is an important part of the Bucs’ offense.
Bucs WR Mike Evans – Photo by: USA Today
Even with the emergence of rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka, Evans was supposed to be a key factor in Detroit. Instead, M1K3 had no receptions despite being targeted four times, and now there is concern about him the rest of the season — and about his chance at making NFL history. After only registering 14 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown in the first three games of the 2025 season, he still needs another 860 yards to get to his 1,000 yards this season to pass Jerry Rice for the most consecutive such seasons in NFL history.
Now, hitting that mark looks all but impossible.
Even if he returned next week, Evans would need to average 86 yards per game over the final 10 games of the season. He will most certainly be out in Week 8 as he looks to recover from his ailments, and even a Week 9 bye week might not have him ready to play come the Bucs’ Week 10 game against the Patriots.
PewterReport.com will have more of an update on Mike Evans following Monday night’s game and throughout the week. Stay tuned.
Adam Slivon has covered the Bucs for four seasons with PewterReport.com as a Bucs Beat Writer, Social Media Manager, and Podcaster. Adam started as an intern during his time at the University of Tampa, where he graduated with a degree in Sport Management in May 2023.
In addition to his regular written content, he appears every Thursday on the Pewter Report Podcast, has a weekly YouTube Top 10 Takeaways video series, and leads the managing of the site's social media platforms.
As a Wisconsin native, he spent his childhood growing up on a farm and enjoys Culver's, kringle, and a quality game of cornhole. You can find him most often on X @AdamLivsOn.
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