Buccaneers WR Mike Evans saw 'the life go out' of team after first-quarter drop vs. Panthers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans can pinpoint the exact time his team lost itself against the Carolina Panthers in Week 7.
Oddly enough, that moment occurred only 71 seconds into the 21-3 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. Evans dropped what would have been a wide-open 75-yard touchdown pass on the Buccaneers' first drive of the game.
Mike Evans nooooo
pic.twitter.com/6HWGuHJjgt— PFF (@PFF) October 23, 2022
It was an ugly drop that effectively sucked the life out of the Buccaneers for the rest of the game, according to Evans. Tampa Bay managed 322 total yards of offense but didn't get into scoring position until the fourth quarter when the Buccaneers managed only a 27-yard field goal from Ryan Succop.
"No one play is the sole reason we lose but that was definitely the biggest reason. We seen the life go out of us," Evans said. "It was tough. Wide open. I'm one of the best in the game – I got to catch that."
"I seen the life go out of us."
Mike Evans on his drop during the Bucs' first drive.
(via @Sara_Walsh)pic.twitter.com/Lq16XMvJoJ— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 23, 2022
Bucs in 'dark' place
To Evans' credit, he did finish with a respectable stat line: nine receptions for 96 yards on 15 targets. But the rest of the Buccaneers' offense couldn't muster much else.
For the second consecutive week, the Buccaneers looked lifeless. The Buccaneers just gave up 21 points to arguably the worst team in the NFL that traded away its best player, Christian McCaffrey, only two days earlier. This all comes just a week after a 20-18 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers where the offense failed to score a touchdown.
The last time Tampa Bay scored a touchdown came midway through the third quarter of the Buccaneers' Week 5 win over the Falcons on Oct. 9. In that game, the Buccaneers almost squandered a 21-point lead after the defense gave up 15 points in the fourth quarter.
Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles didn't have much positive to say about his team, either.
"We have to wear this on our sleeve," Bowles said. "This is as dark as it's going to be right now."
Although Tampa Bay sits — technically — at the top of the NFC South, its 3-3 hold on the division is tenuous at best after losing to the Panthers by double digits. The Buccaneers' upcoming home slate doesn't look easy either: They play the Baltimore Ravens next Thursday, then the Los Angeles Rams followed by the Seattle Seahawks in Munich, Germany, before the team's Week 11 bye.
Things could get worse before they get better.
