Nobody was happy about what happened to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday night, least of all Mike Evans. Before the ball had left Zane Gonzalez's foot and gone through the uprights for a Falcons' win, Evans had already left the field.
In his first game back from a broken clavicle, an injury he suffered less than two months ago, Evans watched his team blow a 14-point lead and lose its second straight game. The loss drops the Bucs to 7-7 and into second place behind the Carolina Panthers.
Tampa Bay came into the night controlling its own destiny and ended it on the outside of the playoff picture looking in.
It's truly difficult to overstate just how upsetting the current situation is. After starting the season 6-1 with Baker Mayfield playing like an MVP, the Bucs have lost six of their last seven games and look like a team that has quit.
Todd Bowles sounds like a coach who has either lost the locker room or knows he's going to be fired -- or both. His postgame comments hinted at that, but so did Evans walking off the field early before Zane Gonzalez had even attempted his game-winning kick.
Mike Evans was among Buccaneers players who left the field early during Thursday night's loss
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Evans was among a handful of players who left the field before the final play of the game had occurred. Amazon cameras also showed footage of Evans screaming on the sideline and looking visibly upset as the Bucs' defense allowed Kirk Cousins and the Falcons to mount a game-winning drive.
Bucs were visibly disgusted on the sideline in the final minute. Mike Evans, trying to control his emotions, walked clear into the tunnel before the winning kick, with several others following.
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 12, 2025
As he walked down the tunnel, Evans was heard yelling, "It was 3rd and 28" multiple times as he hit his helmet on various things he passed.
He's not wrong, it was 3rd and 28, but the Falcons needed two plays to convert and keep the drive going.
Evans leaving the field early is a horrible but it's hard to blame him. He worked his tail off to return early from an injury that everyone thought had ended his season, and his reward was the total dud the team laid.
It's not just the game, it's the fact that his career is nearing its end. Evans has been open about retirement and his plans for the future, which means he doesn't have many more games left. The Bucs are wasting potentially the final year of his career, which is something that has fans just as frustrated as Evans.
This whole collapse has been colossal, and the lasting image will be of the greatest offensive player in storming off the field -- justifiably -- as the team blows perhaps its most embarrassing game of the season.