Sunday’s game against the Panthers could be the final one of the Buccaneers’ season, but the prospect of it being the final one Mike Evans plays in the team’s uniform hasn’t been on the wide receiver’s mind this week.
Evans is wrapping up his 12th season with the team that drafted him sixth overall in 2014 and he is not under contract for 2026. Evans has only appeared in seven games this season due to hamstring and collarbone injuries, which will end his run of 1,000-yard seasons at 11 and he’s posted 28 catches for 334 yards and three touchdowns when he’s on the field.
The Bucs will be giving out bobbleheads with Evans’ likeness to fans this weekend, but Evans said on Tuesday that “right now I’m just treating it like a normal game” without any thoughts about where or if he will be playing in 2026.
“I just approach it how I always approach it,” Evans said, via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. “It’s whatever happens, happens. I’ll focus on that when the time is right. Right now, we have to win. And I’m always giving my all and I’m always gonna go out swinging.”
A win and a Falcons loss would ensure Evans plays one more home game for the Bucs while a Panthers win might lead to a lot of other changes around Tampa come the new year.
Though he hasn’t missed a start this season, Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield has been listed on the injury report with several different issues in 2025.
The Bucs have added another couple to the list.
While the club conducted a walk-through on Tuesday, Mayfield was listed as a limited participant on the estimated report with right shoulder and knee injuries.
Mayfield has been dealing with a left (non-throwing) shoulder injury since earlier in the season and has not been listed on the report with it in a couple of weeks.
At this point, it doesn’t seem likely that Mayfield is at risk of missing Saturday’s game against the Panthers, which may determine the winner of the NFC South.
Mayfield has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 3,490 yards with 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions so far in 2025. He’s rushed for 351 yards with a TD as well.
Cornerback Jamel Dean (shoulder), cornerback Benjamin Morrison (hamstring), outside linebacker Anthony Nelson (knee), and offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs (toe) were all listed as non-participants on the estimate.
Offensive tackle Luke Goedeke (ankle) and defensive tackle Calijah Kancey (pectoral) were limited.
Tight end Devin Culp (knee) was full.
With a division title on the line this weekend, the Panthers did not have one of their key offensive players on the field on Tuesday. But the club is still planning on having him against the Buccaneers on Saturday.
Running back Rico Dowdle (toe) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday’s injury report, with head coach Dave Canales saying in his press conference that Dowdle is still likely to play.
“He’s got a sore toe,” Canales said. “Came out of the game a little bit more sore than normal, and so we just decided to give him a rest day. I’m pretty confident he’ll be able to go, but we’ve got to take it day-by-day and see what he can do tomorrow.”
Dowdle leads the Panthers with 1,066 yards with six touchdowns, averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He’s also caught 37 passes for 277 yards with a TD.
The Panthers also listed Krys Barnes (back), Claudin Cherelus (calf/ankle), Robert Rochell (concussion), and Ja’Tavion Sanders (fibula) as non-participants.
Robert Hunt (biceps), David Moore (elbow), and Turk Wharton (hamstring) were listed as full.
Carolina’s Tuesday report is an estimation, as the club conducted a walk-through and not a full practice.
The Buccaneers are favored to win Saturday’s big NFC South showdown. Unfortunately for them, that’s not enough to win the division.
The Panthers are the betting favorites to win the NFC South, thanks to their path to winning the division via a three-way tied with the Buccaneers and Falcons.
Current betting odds have the Bucs as 2.5-point favorites to win at Tampa Bay on Saturday. That would leave the Bucs and Panthers tied at 8-9 atop the NFC South, and for the time being put the Buccaneers ahead of the Panthers via the division record tiebreaker.
But to win the NFC South, the Buccaneers need to win a two-team tiebreaker with the Panthers. If the Falcons beat the Saints on Sunday, the Falcons will also be 8-9, and in a three-way tiebreaker, the Panthers will win the division because the Panthers have the best record in games among all three teams.
The Falcons are three-point favorites to beat the Saints on Sunday, and that would be enough to hand the division to the Panthers regardless of what happens in Saturday’s Panthers-Buccaneers game. The current betting odds have the Panthers as -400 favorites to win the NFC South, and the Buccaneers as +310 underdogs.
Ultimately, the Panthers control their own path to the playoffs: Win and they’re the division champions. The Buccaneers need two things to happen: They need to win and they need help from the Saints beating the Falcons. And the odds are against that happening.
The Buccaneers would like to have all hands on deck for their Week 18 game against the Panthers and they had a key piece of their offensive line back on the practice field Tuesday.
According to multiple reports, left tackle Tristan Wirfs returned to action after missing all of last week with a toe injury. Wirfs was also inactive for Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins.
The team’s injury report will bring word of Wirfs’ participation level as the team gets ready for Saturday afternoon’s game.
Reports also indicate cornerback Jamel Dean and edge rusher Haason Reddick are at practice. Dean hurt his shoulder against Miami while Reddick was evaluated for a concussion.
