Don't let the embarrassing loss ruin Mike Evans' awesome night against Falcons

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after blowing a 14-point 4th quarter lead in a 29-28 loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

It was nothing short of a total disaster. The loss dropped the Bucs out of first place in the NFC South and now has everyone questioning what the future will look like beyond this season. One of those questions revolves around whether Mike Evans will continue his career in Tampa Bay or decide to retire.

Any question about whether he has enough left in the tank to be a difference maker was answered on Thursday night.

Fans relentlessly booed head coach Todd Bowles and the entire team as they came off the field at the end of the heartbreaking loss. Still, despite the frustration, the effort Evans put in deserves nothing but the highest praise, even if the team didn't earn what he brought to the field.

Mike Evans had an epic performance in his return from injury 

Evans had been out since Week 7 with a broken collarbone, and in his return against the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night, he was back like he never left.

Evans recorded a team-leading 6 receptions for 132 yards. He also drew multiple penalties against Falcons’ defensive backs that simply couldn’t cover him. 

Evans’ performance proved just how much better the offense looks with him in the fold, and how missed his presence was by a reeling Bucs team. 

Evans certainly doesn’t care about his stat line — he was visibly furious after the Bucs collapsed and blew a must-win game with so much on the line.

Still, Bucs fans need something to cheer about as the team lost their fifth out of six games, and Evans’ performance was the lone bright spot in another frustrating loss for Tampa Bay. 

Of course, a strong game from Evans doesn’t lessen the sting of such a brutal loss, but watching the franchise player return from such a devastating injury to deliver his best performance of the season in his first game back is a much-needed positive to take away.