Mike Evans Returns with a Statement Game, but Bucs Fall Short in Painful Collapse
Mike Evans didn’t just return to the field last Thursday night - he arrived with a message.
Late in the game against Atlanta, Evans climbed the ladder over Falcons defensive back Cobee Bryant and snatched the ball away like it was his birthright. The 45-yard gain wasn’t just a big play - it was a reminder.
A reminder that Evans is still that guy, and that even after a concussion and broken collarbone sidelined him for nearly two months, he’s not here to ease back in. He’s here to make defenses pay.
“It felt good to be back,” Evans said Wednesday. “I thought the game was going to be taken away. I thought I was going to be done for the season.”
He wasn’t - and the Bucs are better for it.
In his first game action in 52 days, Evans hauled in six catches for 132 yards. That’s not rusty.
That’s a Pro Bowl-level receiver stepping right back into the fire and delivering. And yet, true to form, Evans wasn’t patting himself on the back.
“I had an OK game,” he said. “Yardage-wise, I did all right, but there were a few more plays I could’ve made.”
That’s vintage Evans - never satisfied, always pushing for more. It’s the same mentality that’s helped him build one of the most consistent careers in NFL history.
But Thursday’s 29-28 loss wasn’t about individual stats. It was about a team that couldn’t close.
The Bucs led by 14 in the fourth quarter. Then came the unraveling.
Tampa Bay’s defense allowed the Falcons to convert on fourth-and-14 - after already giving up a third-and-28. That sequence?
It stuck with Evans.
“Third and 28! Third-and-28!” he shouted as he stormed off the field.
“I was extra emotional my first game back,” he admitted. “We lost the game as a team.
It was just third and 28 was the last thing that happened, and it stuck in my brain. But we’ve got to finish that game on offense, obviously.
Twenty-eight points isn’t good enough.”
Evans isn’t wrong. The Bucs had chances to put the game away, and they didn’t. And when you’ve got a roster with the kind of weapons Tampa Bay does - Evans, Chris Godwin, rookies Jalen McMillan and Emeka Egbuka - the expectation is to go out and light up the scoreboard.
“Especially after you watch film and see how much meat we left on the bone,” Evans said. “It’s unacceptable for an offense of this caliber.”
That’s the thing: this offense does have the firepower. And for the first time all season, it was fully healthy on Thursday.
Evans back in the fold. Godwin doing his thing.
McMillan and Egbuka showing flashes of what’s to come. It’s a group with real potential - not just for this season, but for the future.
“Unlimited potential for our young receivers,” Evans said. “When I leave this game soon, I’m going to be happy with the receiver room that’s left in Tampa and excited to watch them have a great career and carry on the torch.”
That “when I leave this game soon” line? It lands a little heavier when you remember Evans is 32 and in the final year of his contract.
He’s been the face of the Bucs’ receiving corps since 2014, stacking 1,000-yard seasons like clockwork. That streak - 11 straight - is over now.
But Evans isn’t talking legacy just yet.
“I haven’t really even thought about it, honestly,” he said of his future. “I’m just going to wait until the season is over.”
He’s focused on the now - and the now means trying to get the Bucs into the playoffs. At 7-7, they’re still in the hunt.
And with Evans back, they’ve got a shot to make noise. But they’ll need to clean up the late-game collapses and find a way to finish.
Evans knows it. The team knows it. And if Thursday night was any indication, No. 13 is ready to do his part.
“I’m really trying to focus on this season and make the most out of it,” he said.
That’s all you can ask from a guy who’s given everything to the franchise - and still isn’t done giving.