Bucs lose to Lions as Mike Evans fractures clavicle Mike Evans' left arm hung to his side in a sling as he used the right one to pack his bags in the locker room following Monday night's 24-9 loss to the Lions. The Bucs Pro Bowl receiver did not catch a pass on four targets in his return after missing three games with a hamstring injury. But he laid out for a deep ball from Baker Mayfield in the second quarter, smacking his head against the Ford Field turf and sustaining a concussion. Worse yet, he broke his left clavicle and will miss most of the rest of season, maybe returning for the final few weeks. Evans, 32, also will have to wait to see if he will be the same player when he returns as the one whose streak of 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons all but ended with the injury. Same for the Bucs. Already playing with a mixture of some very old players, some very young and very few in the middle, the Bucs find themselves 5-2 but somewhat adrift without Evans' steady hand on the rudder that has kept the franchise on course. "It's never good to see one of your stars go down like that, especially with him just coming back and everybody excited to see him," Todd Bowles said. "So, it's a tough blow, but we've held it down since he's been gone, so we've just got to regroup and come back." The Bucs won in Detroit in Week 2 last season, avenging their playoff loss to the Lions in the same venue a year earlier. But Detroit is a physical team that exacts a punishment. Baker Mayfield struggled to complete 28 of a season-high 50 passes for 228 yards with a touchdown and an interception on a pass ripped out of the hands of tight end Cade Otton. Later, Otton was involved in a fourth-down play where officials ruled after a Detroit challenge that he had made the catch. But they reviewed the review and determined that Otton was short of the first-down marker and awarded the ball to the Lions. "They took another view of it from a different angle and said it was short to gain," Bowles said. "Interesting call after they made it. But at the same time, we got the ball back (after a defensive stop). It didn't cost us anything, but it cost us time off the clock. But that's not why we lost the game." The Bucs lost the game because Mayfield wasn't nearly as sharp as he was during the first six weeks, when he was declared the prohibitive leader in the MVP race. The Bucs were behind the sticks all night, only rushing for 41 yards on 12 carries, and the Lions bullied Mayfield around. "As a skill group, we didn't connect on some early plays," Mayfield said. "Behind the sticks and get-back-on-track plays, and allowed their defensive line and linebackers to get some pressure and pin their ears back. It's not fair on the O-line to begin with. I thought they played well in the first half, but any time you have to drop back and throw the ball that many times a team like that is going to get home." But the real disappointment came on defense, which allowed an opening drive for a touchdown and Jahmyr Gibbs' 78-yard TD run in the second quarter. Gibbs finished with 136 yards rushing and two touchdowns and caught three passes for 82 yards. "He had one big run. He got a 78-yarder," Bowles said. "Credit them, and blame us for being out of our gaps. We've got to coach it better and play it better. We've got to give him credit. He's a talented running back, and if you give him a crease he's going to make you pay, and he made us pay." Jamel Dean's third interception of the season set up the Bucs' only first-half score a 53-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin as the half ended. The Bucs cut their deficit to 14-9 to start the second half when rookie Tez Johnson took a short pass from Mayfield, hurdled a defender, spun out of a tackle and ran into the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown. The Bucs tried to cut the lead to a field goal, but the conversion pass to Otton was knocked away by Nick Whiteside. But the Bucs spent the night chasing Gibbs through the end zone. He had 56 of their 73 yards on the next drive, including a 15-yard run and 28-yard reception, setting up his 5-yard touchdown run. "Definitely a humbling moment for us defensively," Lavonte David said. "We don't tend to give up long runs like that." Earlier, David, the Bucs' oldest player at 35, left the bench and knelt beside Evans, praying he was OK. "I was just making sure it wasn't as crazy as it looked," David said. "Mike's a brother to me. I wanted to make sure he's all right. It's tough, obviously, understanding how much this season meant to him. Just coming back. He had a great week of practice, and he was ready to get out there and prove he's the Mike Evans we love. That's what he does. Go all out for the football team. It's just unfortunate." Mayfield was quick to say that, at 5-2, the Bucs have nothing to be ashamed of. They have a short week to prepare for an NFC South game at New Orleans. The good news is Johnson had another touchdown catch and Emeka Egbuka caught four passes for 58 yards in his first game back from a hamstring strain. But the real downer wasn't losing a game to the Lions. It was losing Evans, knowing he will also lose his streak of consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Losing his presence on the field and the confidence he brings. "Obviously, for the team it's not great, but for him I hate it," Mayfield said. "Seeing him work each day in person whether he's healthy or hurt, just the way he attacks each day, it just sucks. You never like to see that, whether it's a teammate or not, but especially when it's Mike. It's unfortunate. But guys are trying to step up and play for him. "It's very unfortunate, but Mike is a professional. He'll handle it the best way he can. Being injured and not being able to play is one thing, but I know Mike will be there to support the guys no matter what. That's just a testament to who he is. That's not easy to do. It's hard to stand around and watch when you know you want to be out there and contribute, but Mike will help our guys any way he can." Rick Stroud, Tampa Bay Times, published 21 October 2025