TAMPA, Florida – In a cruel twist of fate to the next play after becoming the first NFL player to record 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first seven seasons, the wide receiver of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Mike Evans, suffered an injury to his left knee. 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.
With 24 seconds left in the first quarter, the three-time Pro Bowler was cut to catch what would have been a 10-yard touchdown and extended his left knee with the ball and Evans falling to the ground, where he fell to the ground. he was a few seconds writhing in pain before being helped out of the field, unable to put weight on his left leg. They took him to the locker room with a cart. He was later ruled out for the match.
A previous play, the scoreboard made “1,000” along with the years 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020; every year Evans finished with 1,000 receiving yards.
Evans needed 40 yards to get the record on Sunday and grabbed a 20-yard pass from Tom Brady to get the 46, with the fans quickly getting to their feet.
With ten wins, the Bucs had already secured a place in the playoffs ahead of Sunday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons, but are battling for fifth place in the playoffs. Coach Bruce Arians said last week that he hoped Evans had broken the record so he could set it at week 17.
Now its status in the future is uncertain. Evans has been the Bucks ’No. 1 receiver in recent years, often drawing the attention of opposing defenses with shadow coverage and double coverage. It has probably also been Brady’s most valuable goal in the quarterback’s first year at Tampa Bay, getting 13 touchdown passes led by the team.