Injuries derailed Mike Evans' quest for history. He finds peace in tying Jerry Rice, now focused on leading the Bucs to the playoffs.
A fair question to ask about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during their recent slide is how much of it could have been prevented with a healthy Mike Evans.
Evans, who has been maybe the most consistent receiver in the NFL over the last decade, has only played in five games this season.
A hamstring injury early in the year caused Evans to miss almost a month. In his first game back, Evans broke his collarbone and sustained a concussion on the same play, causing him to miss almost two additional months.
In total, Evans has missed nine games, and Tampa went 3-6 in those games.
Would a healthy Evans have gotten Tampa over the hump against the New England Patriots, whom they lost to by five on Nov. 9? Maybe.
Could Evans' presence have changed the result of Tampa's embarrassing 24-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints Dec. 7? Perhaps.
What's not up for debate is that Evans is the best receiver in Tampa Bay history, and this season, he had a chance to make league history.
In 2024, Evans tied a guy named Jerry Rice for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with 11.
We'll never know if a healthy Evans would have broken the record. In a limited campaign, he has 272 yards, and with three games left, it's safe to say that keeping the stream alive is out of reach.
Evans is at peace with that.
"I broke my collarbone and had the concussion in one, and I knew it was over," Evans told the Buccaneers' Players' Table show. "It is just one of those things that it wasn't meant to be, and that is OK, and I am cool with that. I tied with Jerry Rice, one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest player ever, so that is enough for me. I just want to help my team get to the playoffs now."
Unfortunately, injuries might be rearing their ugly head again. Evans didn't participate in practice Thursday (collarbone), and doesn't yet have an injury designation for Sunday's showdown against the Carolina Panthers.
Evans showed that he's still that dude last week against Atlanta, going for 132 yards on six receptions. The bad news was that Tampa still lost the game, coughing up a two-score fourth-quarter lead.
As a result, the Bucs and Panthers are tied for first in the NFC South at 7-7.
Sunday's game is scheduled for 1:00 in Charlotte.