Scary Evans injury puts incredible streak in serious jeopardy

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) lays on the turf after an injury against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Ford Field. David Reginek-Imagn Images

Scary Mike Evans injury puts incredible streak in serious jeopardy

By Eric Smithling | Last updated Oct 20, 2025 11:54 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers lost more than a football game on Monday.

During the second quarter of a 24-9 loss to the Detroit Lions, veteran wide receiver Mike Evans suffered a scary injury that left him on the turf for several minutes.

Tampa Bay ruled him out with a concussion and shoulder injury, and afterward, head coach Todd Bowles offered an alarming update. He told reporters that Evans suffered a fractured collarbone and likely won't return until "mostly toward the end of the year."

With Evans set to miss the majority of the season, his remarkable streak of 1,000-yard receiving seasons is all but over.

Breaking: Mike Evans has a broken collarbone and will be out “mostly toward the end of the year,” Bucs coach Todd Bowles announced. pic.twitter.com/xLQMkHEhHy
— ESPN (@espn) October 21, 2025

Evans' injury derails historic NFL streak

Evans had at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons, the NFL record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to begin a career and tied with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most by a player at any point in his career.

Before his injury, Evans had no receptions on four targets against the Lions. He worked his way back for the "Monday Night Football" showdown after missing the team's three previous games with a hamstring injury. This season, Evans has 14 receptions for 140 yards.

As disappointing as his injury is, Tampa Bay has the skill-position weapons to withstand his absence. Rookie first-round wideout Emeka Egbuka (hamstring) returned against the Lions and has been excellent this season. Fellow rookie Tez Johnson, a seventh-rounder, has come on strong of late with nine receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns over his past three games, while veteran Chris Godwin (fibula) is expected back in the coming weeks.

While the Bucs should be able to generate offense without Evans, his pursuit of a historic 12th consecutive 1,000-yard season was one of the more intriguing subplots of the season. While Evans' injury robbed him of that opportunity, he'll have to settle with being mentioned in the same breath as Rice, widely considered the greatest wide receiver of all time. Not a bad consolation prize.

Eric Smithling

Eric Smithling is a writer based in New Orleans, LA, whose byline also appears on Athlon Sports. He has been with Yardbarker since September 2022, primarily covering the NFL and college football, but also the NBA, WNBA, men’s and women’s college basketball, NHL, tennis and golf. He holds a film studies degree from the University of New Orleans

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