Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans missed two days of practice with a hamstring injury in the week leading up to Tampa Bay’s matchup with the Ravens on Monday Night Football. Evans re-injured the hamstring in the second quarter, and he was ruled out of the game.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles said Saturday that at that time Evans was questionable.
“He did some things today that were encouraging,” Bowles said, according to the Bucs’ official website. “We’ll see how the next two days go and we’ll see how he feels Monday. He’s questionable right now.”
Evans was not designated on the team’s final injury report, and he did start on Monday night against the Buccaneers. Baker Mayfield will have to rely on Chris Godwin and Sterling Shepherd and tight end Cade Otton to step up with Evans out.
The injury mars an otherwise special night for Evans, who became the 11th player in NFL history to score 100 touchdowns.
Evans had 25 catches on 42 targets for 310 yards and five touchdowns coming into Monday night’s game. He was targeted three times on Monday, catching one 25-yarder for that touchdown.
In a terrible turn of events, Buccaneers wide receiver Chris Godwin was badly injured late in the fourth quarter. Early indications are a dislocated ankle, which will end his season.
Baker Mayfield spoke after the game about the injuries to Evans and Godwin.
Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield on losing Chris Godwin and Mike Evans to injury: “There’s no way around it. We’re gonna have to look this thing in the face and take it head on.” Mayfield called them the “huge heartbeat of this team.” pic.twitter.com/7H4AKz7zIX
— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) October 22, 2024
We will update this post as more information becomes available.