The Detroit Lions hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first NFL game of the Week Seven Monday Night Football doubleheader. In what was expected to be a high-scoring night, the visitors fell 24-9, picking up their second loss of the year. It’s also the second time this year they’ve lost this important piece—stats provided by Google.
The Buccaneers had no answer for the Lions’ rush attack. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs got 17 carries, resulting in 136 yards and two touchdowns. Gibbs also tallied three catches for 82 receiving yards and another TD, surely saving thousands of fantasy teams at the last moment. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown also delivered a notable 86 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has been putting up points with lesser-known talent, with their top three wide receivers all missing time. This game marked the return of two of those names, Mike Evans and Emeka Egbuka. It didn’t take long for this story to turn into a horror.
ESPN reports on the incident, which resulted in a broken collarbone and concussion to Evans. Lions cornerback Rock Ya-Sin was covering him on a deep pass, tackling in what didn’t originally look too dangerous, but fans quickly realized something was seriously wrong.
“I was just worried about him,” Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton told ESPN. “I didn’t really know what was going on at the time, so just letting them know that I’m there for him and that’s all you can do in that moment. … Obviously, he’s the leader on the team, great teammate, great person. So just want him to have a speedy recovery.”
It was a disturbing image, seeing his teammate ragdoll and not get up. Evans was clearly emotional as he was being carted off the field. Otton’s concern was certainly justified; his teammate is now unlikely to continue his 1,000-yard season streak. If he hit that mark this year, he would break the tie with Jerry Rice for the most consecutive seasons at 11.
“Obviously to the team — it’s not great. But for him, I hate it,” Mayfield said. “From seeing him work each day in person, whether it’s healthy or hurt, how he attacks each day — it just sucks. You never like to see that, whether it’s a teammate or not but especially when it’s Mike. … Guys are going to have to step up.”
He’s right, it sucks, and guys are going to have to step up. Luckily for fans of the team, they have shown the ability to do so this season. If you didn’t pick up the Buccaneers’ depth receivers last week, it might be too late to add them to your fantasy roster now.
The Buccaneers will try to pick up the pieces. Their 5-2 record is still good enough for tops in the NFC South. They have a promising matchup for a bounce-back in Week Eight, when they travel to New Orleans and challenge the 1-6 Saints.
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