The Tampa Bay Buccaneers suffered a costly loss on "Monday Night Football" in more ways the one.
Tampa Bay suffered its second loss of the season, falling 24-9 to the Detroit Lions, but the bigger loss may have been WR Mike Evans, who was just returning from a hamstring injury that kept him off the field for three weeks.
Evans went down in the second quarter of the Buccaneers' loss and was quickly ruled out after being carted back to the locker room with multiple injuries.
Here's what you need to know about Evans' injury and when he could return for the Buccaneers.
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What is Mike Evans' injury?
Evans suffered a broken collarbone in the loss to the Lions, along with a concussion.
There was immediate concern for Evans after he hit the turf hard while trying to complete a catch in the first half. Evans' head smacked against the turf, which instantly sparked concussion speculation, but it was soon revealed that he was dealing with another injury in addition to a concussion.
It's the collarbone fracture that is set to keep Evans off the field for an extended period. Here's a look at when he could return.
How long is Mike Evans out?
Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles told reporters Evans will miss "most" of the remainder of the season, but he did not rule out a return for the veteran receiver.
βHe has a broken clavicle and he will be out mostly towards the end of the year," Bowles said.
While losing Evans for any amount of time is a major blow to Tampa Bay's offense, the typical timeline for a broken collarbone puts the 32-year-old in line to return at some point this season. The typical timeline for a return is about two months, based on previous players who suffered the same injury. That timeline would take Evans to mid-to-late December, when the Buccaneers will be two or three weeks out from the end of the regular season.
Even on an expedited timeline, Evans' streak of 11 consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons is going to come to an end. The focus now for the Buccaneers will be securing a playoff berth without Evans and getting him back on the field in time to contribute to a potential playoff run.
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Buccaneers WR depth chart
WR Player
1 Mike Evans*
2 Emeka Egbuka
3 Chris Godwin*
4 Sterling Shepard
5 Jalen McMillan*
6 Tez Johnson
7 Kameron Johnson
8 Ryan Miller
* -- Injured
With Evans out, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin are set to be the Buccaneers' top wide receivers going forward. Egbuka had a stellar start to his rookie season but caught only four of 12 targets against the Lions after recovering from a hamstring injury, while Godwin is "week-to-week" with a leg injury but isn't expected to be out long-term.
Veteran Sterling Shepard has been a safety net for Mayfield, while seventh-round rookie Tez Johnson has broken through in recent weeks with other receivers battling injuries. Kameron Johnson and Ryan Miller have played limited roles as depth this season.
Jalen McMillan is the wild card of the bunch, as he impressed late in his rookie season but was placed on IR due to a neck injury suffered in the preseason. McMillan has yet to practice, but he is expected to return at some point this season.
Buccaneers upcoming schedule
Week Date Opponent Kickoff time (ET) TV Channel
8 Sunday, Oct. 26 at Saints 4:05 p.m. FOX
9 BYE β β β
10 Sunday, Nov. 9 vs. Patriots 1 p.m. CBS
11 Sunday, Nov. 16 at Bills 1 p.m. CBS
12 Sunday, Nov. 23 at Rams (SNF) 8:20 p.m. NBC
13 Sunday, Nov. 30 vs. Cardinals 1 p.m. FOX
14 Sunday, Dec. 7 vs. Saints 1 p.m. CBS
15 Thursday, Dec. 11 vs. Falcons (TNF) 8:15 p.m. Prime Video
16 Sunday, Dec. 21 at Panthers 4:30 p.m. FOX
17 Sunday, Dec. 28 at Dolphins 1 p.m. FOX
18 Sunday, Jan. 4 vs. Panthers TBD TBD
The Buccaneers head on the road to face the New Orleans Saints before hitting their bye week to try to get the rest of the receiving corps healthy.
Tampa Bay will hit the toughest stretch of its schedule after the bye, facing the Patriots, Bills and Rams, who are a combined 14-6 through seven weeks.