The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football was particularly painful as wide receiver Mike Evans suffered a broken collarbone.
Tampa Bay fell to 5-2 with a 24-9 loss at Ford Field, with Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs gacking the Buccaneer defense for 218 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns.
More worrisome for the Bucs is the loss of Evans, who now appears poised to miss most of Tampa Bay’s remaining regular season games.
“He’ll be out mostly towards the end of the year,” Bucs head coach Todd Bowles said of the timetable for Evans’ return. “We’ll see what happens.”
Evans’ streak is about to end
Evans has been one of the most consistent receivers in NFL history since being drafted by the Buccaneers with the seventh overall pick in 2014.
Indeed, Evans racked up 11 successive 1,000-yard seasons, tying the record set by Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
But he will not become the sole owner of the record following his latest injury.
Having already missed four games in 2025, Evans’ absence for the final period will cause him to miss a 12th straight 1,000-yard season.
Gibbs finally breaks out
Gibbs had four plays of 20 yards or more as he propelled the Lions to 5-2, the highlight being a 78-yard touchdown run in the second quarter that put Detroit up 14-0.
The 2023 first-round pick previously recorded just one game with 100-plus yards from scrimmage this season.
But head coach Dan Campbell wasn’t surprised to see him explode in prime time.
“It was huge. It felt like it was going to happen,” Campbell said of Gibbs’ performance.
“You felt like it was building and as he gets in better shape and starts to get under him and starts to get a feel for it, he starts to break some tackles. Every week you feel like it’s getting closer and closer. Tonight was the night he just pulled one out and there’s no going back.
“I think he’s just going to continue to do that. So our O-Line has done a good job in areas to get to the second level.
“Certainly we have to continue to improve there, but that’s all you have to do. If you can get him to the second level, he’ll do the rest. We’re lucky because our O-line can open holes and we have the receivers that block. So the rest is up to him.”
The Lions will have a bye in Week 8. The Buccaneers will look to get back on track against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.
