The New England Patriots will face off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10, and the Bucs will be without franchise legend Mike Evans, who was placed on IR after sustaining a broken collarbone against the Lions on Monday night.
Evans has been a mainstay at the top of receiving leaders charts throughout his career, and 2024 marked eleven consecutive years of thousand-yard seasons, a record that began in his rookie year.
Evans will be unable to hit that thousand-yard mark again, and his absence will no doubt take a load off of opposing defenses for the remainder of the season. Still, the Buccaneers have some excellent options on their roster. Rookie Emeka Egbuka is the clear OROY favorite, as he's currently on pace for nearly 1,300 yards.
Chris Godwin returned from injury himself just a few weeks ago, and he's been a tremendous veteran option beside Evans through his career. 2024 pick Jalen McMillan is likely to return from IR by Week 10. He had seven touchdowns in his last five games in 2024 and had at least 50 yards in each contest.
The depth doesn't end there, though. Veteran Sterling Shepard and rookie Tez Johnson offer Baker Mayfield further options, and Cade Otton has 22 catches as the team's tight end. Bucky Irving and Rachaad White also find ways to get involved in the passing game: each has 19 catches on the year.
Mike Evans changes the Patriots' defensive gameplan in a major way
The omission of Evans from the offense alleviates a major threat the Patriots will have to deal with, but as mentioned, the Bucs still have a potent offense. Containing Egbuka will be the top priority, likely a job for Christian Gonzalez. Carlton Davis will have the responsibility of covering his former teammate, Chris Godwin, on the other side.
Marcus Jones will likely cover Jalen McMillan or Sterling Shepard in the slot. Depth pieces Alex Austin and Charles Woods will also likely see a decent share of snaps given Tampa's affinity for the pass, which they do at the tenth highest rate in the league.
Bottling up the run will be key as always, with the Bucs likely to lean on their run game more than usual with their top weapon out. Containing Egbuka, as mentioned, should be priority 1A, but ensuring Irving and White are contained is also key: look for Robert Spillane to play a major role in this.
The defensive line will need to have an exceptional game. The Bucs will look to run the ball out of receiver-heavy formations. Given that Otton is the only tight end with a catch this year, it's clear the priority is getting the ball to their wideouts and backs rather than running the ball or checking down to tight ends.
This is a big-play offense, with or without Evans, and the Patriots will have to be ready for that. Keeping Egbuka in check and maintaining a dominant defensive line will be key against the Mike Evans-less Buccaneers.