The sight of Mike Evans stretched out on the ground in the back of the end zone, then limping off with a hamstring injury was bad enough. When Tampa Bay’s other top receiver, Chris Godwin, went down in the closing minute of a 41-31 loss to the Baltimore Ravens, an already frustrating night got more disappointing for the Buccaneers.
“Got a heavy heart right now,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “It’s never something you want to see happen to any of your guys.”
Evans left the game early after earlier catching a 25-yard TD pass from Mayfield to become the 11th player in NFL history with at least 100 touchdown receptions in a career. He also joined Hall of Famers Jerry Rice, Randy Moss, Marvin Harrison and Terrell Owens as the only players to reach 100 in their first 11 seasons.
Godwin injured his left ankle late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach, leaving coach Todd Bowles to explain why Godwin — off to the best start of his career — was still on the field.
Especially with Evans already hobbled with what the Bowles described last week as a nagging injury.
“He’s a player. We’re trying to win the ballgame. We were still down 10, we’re trying to get extra points and kick another onside kick,” Bowles said. “It just happened. With Mike (Evans) going down, we didn’t have that many receivers left as it was, so we play what we got.”
Added Bowles: “Early indication is that it's dislocated. Doesn't look good.”
Evans, who missed two days of practice last week, appeared to aggravate the injury on the scoring reception. Mayfield nearly connected with him in the end zone again in the second quarter, but this time the ball glanced off Evans’ hands as he and Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens went to the ground.
Evans remained on the the ground for several minutes before being helped to his feet and limping to the locker room.
Mayfield said he can’t remember ever being part of a team that lost two players in the same game who mean as much as Godwin and Evans do to the Bucs.
“Definitely not two of the guys that are the huge heartbeat of this team,” the quarterback said.
“But like I said, we have to find a way. ... We’re going to be playing for first place in the division next week at home against Atlanta,” Mayfield added. “Got to have guys step up. That’s just the way it is. There’s no other way around it.”
Two-time MVP Lamar Jackson threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns to help the Ravens (5-2) overcome an early double-digit deficit and extend their winning streak to five games.
Jackson improved improved to 23-1 against NFC teams, the best mark by a quarterback against an opposing conference in NFL history. He's 3-0 against the Bucs (4-3), who faded after taking a 10-0 lead with help from the 100th TD reception of Evans' career.
Jackson completed 17 of 22 passes without an interception, including TD throws of 9 and 4 yards to Mark Andrews. He also tossed scoring passes of 49 yards to Rashod Bateman, 18 yards to Justice Hill and 11 yards to Derrick Henry, who rushed for 169 yards on 15 carries. Bateman had four catches for 121 yards.
Mayfield finished 31 of 45 passing for 370 yards, three TDs and two interceptions.
The Bucs played at home for the first time since Hurricane Milton made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast, causing extensive damage in the Tampa Bay area and along the path it took across the state. The Bucs relocated ahead of the storm to New Orleans, where they practiced for four days before trouncing the Saints 51-27 last week.
The Ravens lead the the NFL with 1,476 rushing yards this season and have run for at least 150 in every game. With 243 on the ground Monday night, they became the fourth team since 1980 to begin a season with at least 1,400 yards in their first seven games. The others are the 1984 Chicago Bears (1,508), 2006 Atlanta Falcons (1,476) and 2019 Ravens (1,429).
