How did Mike Evans drop this easy touchdown pass?
Tom Brady broke a dubious personal record in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers. Brady threw 49 passes, but didn’t throw a touchdown. The Bucs — who entered the game as 13-point favorites — somehow lost to Carolina, 21-3, to fall to 3-4 on the year so far. This is the latest in the season a Brady team has been under .500 in 20 years. It’s the most passes he’s ever throw in his career without a TD.
Most people assumed the Panthers would be trying to tank after trading star running back Christian McCaffrey to the San Francisco 49ers last week. Instead, they somehow held the Bucs — one of the preseason Super Bowl favorites in the NFC — without a touchdown. Maybe things would have been different for Tampa Bay on Sunday if Mike Evans hauled in a catch that most people reading this article probably could have made.
On the third play of the game, Evans broke free way behind the Carolina defense. Brady put the ball on the money for what should have been an easy touchdown. Instead, Evans dropped it. Watch the play here.
That’s one of the easiest drops you will ever see from an elite NFL wide receiver like Evans. The veteran wide out ended the game with nine catches for 96 yards, but this drop will be the moment he’ll be thinking about for the rest of the week. Maybe even the rest of the year.
The numbers back it up — that’s the most wide open drop of the season.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Mike Evans had 10.9 yards of separation to the nearest defender on his drop in the first quarter.
That’s the most wide open drop on a pass travelling at least 30 air yards this season. pic.twitter.com/Fk5m7pO1RX
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) October 23, 2022
Tom Brady really came back for this? Brady is still playing at a pretty high level this year, but he needs to get some help from his supporting cast. A drop like that is unforgivable.
