One of the key pieces of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is missing, and it's an absence that's already being felt.
Mike Evans is out for at least the next few weeks, and immediately, not having him on the field against a tough opponent likely made a difference. Tampa Bay dropped its first game of the season to Philadelphia, and not having Evans in a one-score game certainly didn't help.
Emeka Egbuka went for over 100 yards and having Chris Godwin back helped, but the Bucs offense looked compeltely different without Evans and the Eagles defense knew it.
Buccaneers insider Scott Smith passed along a quote from Baker Mayfield that sums up exactly why not having Evans on the field is a significant concern for the Bucs. It goes beyond the fact that he's good and veers into territory where defenses can smell blood in the water.
"Baker Mayfield says the presence of Mike Evans completely changes how opposing teams play defense against the Bucs, so adjustments will have to be made during his absence," Smith reported.
That was before last Sunday's loss to the Eagles and it rings even more true as the Bucs prepare for Week 5 against Seattle. Evans will miss that game as well and could very likely miss the next one against San Francisco, something that threatens to drop the Bucs out of the stratosphere they started the season in.
Buccaneers not having Mike Evans is a major problem, even with Emeka Egbuka
Last year the Bucs were without Evans for three games, all of which they lost. His absence coincided with the toughest part of Tampa Bay's schedule, something everyone is hoping can be avoided this time around.
Tama Bay plays Seatte, San Francisco, and Detroit in the coming weeks but runs another gauntlet in November with coast-to-coast games against th Patriots, Bills, and Rams. Not having Evans for any portion of the season is less than ideal but missing him in those games could be a major problem.
Baker's right, when the Bucs have Evans on the field, the offense has a totally different dynamic. We've seen it in each of the last two seasons, as Tampa Bay's offense really didn't get going until it started running through Evans. When he struggled, so did the Bucs and the result usually wasn't great.
That's how important he's been and not having that sort of a key element on the field truly does change things. The good news is that, unlike years past, the Bucs have Emeka Egbuka to help massage the tension of not having Evans. Tampa Bay also got Chris Godwin back last week, and as he settles in it should help mask the loss of Evans better than most teams would be able to.
Still, Evans is among the best receivers in the game, and any offense is lesser for not having him in it. The upside is that when he does return, he'll be joining perhaps the best receiver group he's ever been part of, but for the time being, the Bucs are going to have the difficult task of trying to stave off defenses that know they have an opening with one of the best players in the game standing on the sideline.
More Tampa Bay Buccaneers news and rumors