Mike Evans Expected to Miss Rest of 2019 Season

Tampa Bay's star receiver is expected to be shut down for the final three games of the year.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans is expected to miss the last three games of the 2019 season after suffering a hamstring injury in Sunday's 38-35 win over the Indianapolis Colts.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler first reported on Monday that the Bucs would shut Evans down:

Bucs WR Mike Evans (hamstring) expected to miss the rest of the season, per source. Barring unexpected improvement on hamstring, Tampa Bay will be without its top receiver.

— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) December 10, 2019

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport confirmed the prognosis after Evans underwent an MRI Tuesday to determine the extent of the injury:

From NFL Now: #Bucs WR Mike Evans is done for the season after a serious hamstring pull. pic.twitter.com/ECIiTSBYUz

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) December 11, 2019

Though Evans is expected to miss the remaining three games of the season, head coach Bruce Arians has no plans to put him on injured reserve just yet (via ESPN's Jenna Laine):

Bucs coach Bruce Arians said there are no plans at this point to put Mike Evans on injured reserve. "It's a pretty good hamstring strain. He healed fast enough in the spring, so we'll just see how it goes each and every day." https://t.co/EWj861tLh9

— JennaLaineESPN (@JennaLaineESPN) December 11, 2019

Evans suffered the injury on a 61-yard touchdown reception Sunday, his only catch of the game.

One of the NFL's top pass-catchers this season, Evans would finish the year with 67 receptions, 1,157 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging 17.3 yards per reception. He is one of just two receivers in NFL history to start his career with six consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, joining only Hall of Famer Randy Moss.