After ‘Cocky’ Dropped TD, Tampa Bay Bucs WR Superman Redeems Himself

After ‘Cocky’ Dropped TD, Tampa Bay Bucs WR Superman Redeems Himself.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans was in disbelief.

Evans, only two snaps after hauling in a 43-yard pass to set Tampa Bay up in the Red Zone, found himself wide open in the end zone early in the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday. But the play didn’t result in the Bucs firing off their celebratory cannon. The four-time Pro Bowler was apparently focused on something other than securing the catch and dropped an on-target pass from Baker Mayfield. Cheers inside Raymond James Stadium turned to groans as the ball hit the ground, and Evans only had himself to blame.

“I was wide open and I dropped it,” Evans said postgame before saying that he didn’t want to talk about the play anymore. “Got a little cocky. Thinking about what fan I was going to give the ball to. Can’t do that.”

Evans wasn’t going to make that mistake again. The 6-foot-5 receiver carried Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton into the end zone for a 22-yard score on the next drive, which proved to be more than enough offense for the Bucs in a 20-6 win.

The Buccaneers, who had not won in over a month, snapped a four-game losing streak with Sunday’s victory. And Evans was a big reason why. The soon-to-be free agent topped 100 yards for the first time since Week 2 and finished the day with six receptions for 143 yards and, of course, a touchdown that he so desperately wanted.

“I was angry,” said Evans, the only player in NFL history to begin a career with nine consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, of dropping the earlier pass. “I was angry at myself, I was frustrated. That next drive, Baker kept throwing me the ball. I just made it a point to try and get that back — get that touchdown back