Sitting at 4-6, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers must defeat the New York Giants in Week 12 to keep their playoff hopes alive. But having Mike Evans back on the field should give the Buccaneers a jolt of confidence.
Evans returned to practice on Wednesday, via Pewter Report. After being out since Week 8 with a hamstring injury, the star wide receiver looks on his way to playing in Week 12.
Of course, more will be known once Tampa Bay releases their official injury report. But Evans and the Buccaneers have been targeting Week 12 – coming off of their bye week – as the apt time for the receiver to return. There is still time between Wednesday and Sunday. But his practice return bodes well for Evans’ status against the Giants.
Evans’ return will be massive for Tampa Bay, in part due to Chris Godwin’s season-ending injury. In his absence, tight end Cade Otton has stepped up, catching 49 passes for 456 yards and four touchdowns. Still, Baker Mayfield needed another playmaker to throw to.
In Evans’ he got arguably the best Tampa Bay has to offer. Before going down with injury, he caught 26 passes for 335 yards and a team-leading six touchdowns. Evans has been on a legendary streak, amassing 1,000 receiving yards every year of his NFL career. That mark may be tough to reach in 2024 with time missed due to injury. But every game Evans takes part he, he has an opportunity to break out.
As the Buccaneers come out of their bye week, the Atlanta Falcons enter it with a 6-5 record. If Tampa Bay can take down New York, they’d take another step towards overtaking Atlanta. Both the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers seem out of the race. The Buccaneers know exactly the mountain they must climb to make the postseason.
But now they’ll have Mike Evans at their disposal. Tampa Bay fell into a bit of chaos with their mounting injuries. Godwin’s injury means the team still won’t have their full arsenal. Still, Evans brings plenty of firepower alone.
And he’s ready to explode in Week 12.
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