Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury during the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Monday night, and one of the most impressive streaks in sports is in jeopardy as a result.
Evans dropped what would have been his second touchdown catch of the game midway through the second quarter at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The veteran wide receiver was tackled from behind by Ravens cornerback Brandon Stephens and immediately grabbed at his right hamstring.
Evans had been dealing with a hamstring injury entering the game. He was seen limping a bit early on but then appeared to be in excruciating pain before exiting.
While the Bucs are not planning to place Evans on injured reserve, Ric Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times expects the 31-year-old to miss at least three games.
#Bucs aren’t planning to put Mike Evans on injured reserve if there’s a chance he can return after the bye week for the Nov. 24 game at NY Giants. Would expect him to miss at least the next 3 games. (ATL, at KC, SFO).
— Rick Stroud (@NFLSTROUD) October 22, 2024
If Evans were to miss three games, he would have a difficult time getting to 1,000 yards this season. That is significant since he has eclipsed the 1,000-yard receiving mark in his first 10 NFL seasons. Evans is the only player to accomplish that feat.
Jerry Rice holds the record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons with 11. Evans needs 1,000 or more yards this season to tie that mark.
Evans has just 335 yards through seven games this season. If he were to miss the next three games, he would need 665 yards in seven games to get to 1,000. That means Evans would have to average 95 yards per game. If he were to miss more than three games, Evans would need to average over 100 yards per game.
It is possible that Evans would not have gotten to 1,000 yards this season even if he remained healthy, as he had gotten off to a slow start. Now that he is injured, the legendary streak might be all but finished.
