TAMPA, Florida – In a dramatic change of fate in the next play after becoming the first NFL player to record 1,000 yards in each of the first seven seasons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans suffered a left knee injury, his status for the playoffs in jeopardy.
After being examined at Raymond James Stadium, Evans was taken for an MRI, according to two sources familiar with the situation.
After 24 seconds for the first quarter, three times Pro Bowler cut in to catch what would have been a 10-meter touchdown and extended his left knee with the ball and Evans both falling to the ground, where he stood a few seconds twitching in pain before being helped off the field, unable to put weight on his left leg. He was taken to the locker room in a cart. He was later ruled out for the game.
An earlier piece, the dashboard showed “1,000” along with the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020 – in all the years Evans finished with 1,000 welcome meters.
Evans needed 40 meters for Sunday’s record and caught a 20-meter pass from Tom Brady to reach 46, with fans quickly jumping to their feet.
With 10 wins, the Bucs have already won a playoff spot, heading into Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, but are battling for the fifth playoff series. Coach Bruce Arians said last week that he hopes Evans could get the record then so he can set it in week 17.
Now its future status is uncertain. Evans was the no. 1 of Bucs in recent years, frequently attracting the attention of opposing defenses with shadow coverage and double coverage. He was also arguably Brady’s most valuable target in the Tampa Bay defender’s freshman year, catching 13 touchdown passes at the head of the team.