It was a night when the familiar moments of drama and brilliance never materialized, when the frequent sight of Baker Mayfield’s heroics this season gave way to uncharacteristic misfires under constant pressure from Detroit’s unforgiving defense.

It was a night when Lions tailback Jahmyr Gibbs ran wild en route to 218 total yards – paving the way for a decisive 24-9 victory that brought the 5-2 Tampa Bay Bucs back to earth with a resounding thud inside boisterous Ford Field.

It was a night you’d like to write off as forgettable. Yet for the Bucs, it was anything but.

That’s because one painful memory will linger and ultimately may hurt far more than the loss. It was the scene of future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans lying still on the turf in the second quarter; then grimacing, eyes closed, while being assisted off the field before being carted into the locker room minutes later.

The news that emerged post-game was even worse – a broken clavicle that could well end the 12th-year pro’s season just as it was finally re-starting amid considerable hope and fanfare Monday evening.

The play unfolded with a Mayfield bomb that, sadly, turned into a landmine – blowing a hole in the Bucs’ passing attack before it had a chance to take hold.

Returning to the lineup after missing three games with a pulled left hamstring, Evans had nearly made a magnificent catch seconds earlier deep in Lions territory. With cornerback Rock Ya-Sin blanketing him, he managed to pull the ball into his body with one hand, and seemed to have control of it until he hit the ground hard – sustaining a concussion in the process as the ball rolled from his grasp.

"He'll be out mostly toward the end of the year," Bucs Head Coach Todd Bowles said. "We'll see what happens."

It was a crushing blow for an offense that finally hoped to have Evans back for the long haul, pairing once again with rookie sensation Emeka Egbuka and perhaps including injured Chris Godwin (fibula) at some point this season.

Yet even with such a disheartening development, that play alone was not a devastating blow in the game for the Bucs. The fought back after a lackluster first half in which Detroit easily could have led by three touchdowns rather than 14-3 – outgaining the Bucs 275-58 and 11-4 in first downs.

“We fought, (but) we didn’t play sound football all the time,” Bowles said. “We messed up some plays, but credit to them, they made more plays than we (did). … They’ve got a lot of talent on their team and we have to cross our t’s and dot our i’s. So we definitely have to coach it better. And we definitely have to play it better.”

Added Mayfield, “(They) just played harder than us tonight. We didn’t execute when we needed to. It doesn’t help when some of those things don’t go our way, but it’s not an excuse. You come into somebody else’s house – an environment like this – and you’ve got to be able to do the little things right consistently. And we didn’t. I don’t even really want to see our third-down percentage, but I know it was horrible (4-for-16). So we’ve got to get some things fixed and move on.”

Tampa Bay’s defense, despite not being to contain Gibbs, managed to keep the pressure on Lions quarterback Jared Goff and force an interception (cornerback Jamel Dean’s third in four games) and a fumble recovery. The unit limited the Lions to just three first downs in 13 attempts (23.1 %) – the lowest third-down conversion percentage for Detroit this. All told, the defense logged four sacks, seven tackles for loss and the two take-aways – and kept the game from getting completely out of hand.

In fact, some seven minutes into the third quarter, the Bucs climbed back into contention after rookie wideout Tez Johnson turned in a highlight-reel touchdown for the second straight week – a 22-yard catch in which he hurdled Detroit defensive back Arthur Maulet, raced down the right side, and then spun away from safety Thomas Harper at the goal line.

That was the last uplifting moment for Tampa Bay.

The two-point conversion attempt to tight end Cade Otton was knocked away at the last moment. And on Detroit’s next possession, Gibbs touched the ball as a runner or receiver on five of six plays – including a 28-yard catch and run that set up his 5-yard touchdown for a 21-9 lead with 4:39 left in the third quarter.

Yet even then, the Bucs had their chances. The offense began the game punting on its first five possessions and then saw the next two drives end with turnovers. But it seemed to get back in the running with just over 11 minutes to play. On a fourth and four at their 37, Mayfield completed a pass to Otton, who seemed to make the first down by inches. Lions head coach Dan Campbell challenged the call, however, since replays appeared to show Otton’s knee down before he extended the ball for the first down.

Campbell lost the challenge, but in reviewing the play, the referees determined that the spot of the ball was too generous, and the new spot negated what would have been a crucial first down. Instead, it gave the Lions possession at Tampa Bay’s 40. The Buc defense once again clamped down, but Lions kicker Jack Bates connected on a 58-yard field goal to make it 24-9 with 10:17 to play.

“They just said they saw it from a late angle and came back and made (the call) from another angle,” Bowles said. “But again, we got off the field in that regard. And a field goal is a field goal.”

Remarked Otton: “I don’t really know what happened behind the scenes, but it’s just one play in a long game. … We control what we can control on the field, and we’ve just got to do better there.”

Even with that setback, the Bucs still had a shot to get back into the game, only to see their attempts unravel. Mayfield overthrew Tez Johnson twice on the ensuing drive – including one from Detroit’s 21 that would have been a certain touchdown in the end zone with just under seven minutes to play. The drive continued thanks to a fourth-down pass interference call on the Lions. And on second down from the 12, Mayfield’s end zone pass to Egbuka was knocked away at the last instant – ultimately proving to be Tampa Bay’s last chance at a comeback.

The Lions entered the fourth quarter having won 27 straight games in which they held a lead at that point. And they made it 28, raising their record to 5-2 and extending another impressive streak. Having lost last week to Kansas City, they have not lost back-to-back games for 51 straight outings.

As good as Gibbs was – finishing with the most total yards since Calvin “Megatron” Johnson’s 218 total in 2013 – the defense was equally impactful. With all four starters in the secondary out of action, the unit still dominated the flow of the game. It limited Mayfield to 28 of 50 completions for 228 yards, one touchdown and one interception, while sacking him four times.

“They did a good job all night, not letting us throw it over the top and keeping it underneath,” Bowles said. “They got some pressure up the middle and got on Baker’s feet a little bit too much. So we definitely need to block it better and give him a clear window. We’ve got to do a better job overall.”

The Bucs, meanwhile, still lead the NFC South by a game over the 4-3 Carolina Panthers, and their 5-2 record is tied for their second-best mark through seven games in franchise history. The injury plague continues, meanwhile: Linebacker Haason Reddick sustained an ankle and knee injury in the fourth quarter. The Bucs will await news on his status.

Of course, the one that hurt the most was to No. 13, and that pain – and image – will not fade anytime soon.