Among the many things that have gone right for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so far this season is Mike Evans stepping up like the superstar he is.
Evans needs a new contract, and despite there being mutual interesting in getting something a done a deal was not reached before the start of the season. That means one of the best players in the NFL is playing without a contract for next season and with every incentive to ball out this year.
That's exactly what Evans has done through the first two weeks.
The All-Pro receiver cooked the Chicago Bears so bad last week that 'Pay Mike Evans' started trending on social media, only adding to a solid case he's building for himself. As good as Evans is, though, he's not perfect which is something we saw on Monday Night against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Buccaneers fans couldn't believe Mike Evans dropped an easy TD
Evans missed two critical passes from Baker Mayfield in the first half, both of which felt like the sort of plays the Bucs used the previous two weeks to jumpstart the offense.
This time around, Evans missed a first down pass and would have been a go-ahead touchdown. It was the latter that fans couldn't believe Evans let get away from him.
Sydney Brown saves a TD for the @Eagles defense
โ NFL (@NFL) September 26, 2023
๐บ: #PHIvsTB on ABC
๐ฑ: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/NkpBC1YFYJ pic.twitter.com/BGkpjQaMCJ
This close for Mike Evans ๐ค pic.twitter.com/2iNljwxCc7
โ NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 26, 2023
To be fair, the pass was just a bit off the mark, but it was still mostly on the money. Nevertheless, Bucs fans were beside themselves that a guy as reliable as Evans could miss what looked to be such an easy touchdown.
Wow. Mayfield had Evans in the end zone and he dropped it. Open in the end zone. They'll send McLaughlin out for a tying field goal.
โ Greg Auman (@gregauman) September 26, 2023
Evans HAS to make that catch
โ Joshua Queipo (@josh_queipo) September 26, 2023
Evans, man. Gotta catch that ball. Also, go attack the ball. Big mistakes have really cost Bucs so far
โ Jon Ledyard (@LedyardNFLDraft) September 26, 2023
Damn Mike. Let's go baby. You owe us 2 now. Let's go baby.
โ ๐ฆ๐ฎ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐น๐ถโข ๐ดโโ ๏ธ (@TheSamerAli) September 26, 2023
Mike Evans has to secure that ball. Thatโs 2 misses.
โ JC Cornell (@CornellNFL) September 26, 2023
Evans with another brutal drop. Had the touchdown, but Brown got enough of a hand on there to disrupt the catch
โ Bucs Nation (@Bucs_Nation) September 26, 2023
That dropped touchdown pass could end up defining the flow of the game. Had Evans caught it, the Bucs would have gone up 7-3 in a game almost nobody thought they'd have a chance to win. Instead, the best Tampa Bay could do was tie the game, and the Eagles struck pay dirt on their next drive to take a lead.