TAMPA, Fla. — Mike Evans sat on the bench Sunday afternoon, staring at his hands in disbelief.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ all-time receiving leader, the only player in NFL history to begin a career with nine consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, dropped a pass in the end zone with no defenders around him. He had no one to blame but himself.
“I dropped it being a little cocky, thinking about what fan I was going to give the ball to. You can’t do that,” Evans said after redeeming himself with a 22-yard touchdown catch to help the Buccaneers snap a four-game skid with a 20-6 victory over the reeling Tennessee Titans.
Evans bulldozed his way across the goal line, carrying cornerback Kristian Fulton on his back, to put the Bucs up 17-3 midway through the third quarter.
The 10th-year pro’s second-down drop on the previous possession led to Tampa Bay (4-5) settling for a field goal for a 10-3 lead after Evans’ 43-yard catch set up the offense inside the Tennessee 10-yard line.