ClutchPoints
With everything still on the line despite another gut-punch loss, Baker Mayfield said Tampa Bay will be ready for a Week 18 home showdown with Carolina that decides the NFC South, promising he’ll have the group prepared after a performance that included 346 passing yards and two interceptions in the 20-17 loss to Miami.
That finale will also double as a full-on Mike Evans appreciation day. ESPN’s Jenna Laine reported the Buccaneers plan to distribute 13,000 Mike Evans bobbleheads to fans for the regular-season finale on Jan. 3 against the Panthers.
The bobblehead will feature the team’s 50th anniversary logo and Evans’ signature salute, with the team labeling it “a tribute to his legendary career and commitment to Tampa Bay.”
Tampa’s season has swerved from early momentum to a late collapse. However, the division is still up for grabs, and the franchise is leaning into a moment that celebrates one of its defining players while the stakes remain as high as they can be in Week 18.
Mayfield’s message after the Dolphins game leaned heavily on the reset button. In comments shared by Laine, he echoed Todd Bowles’ “erase it” approach and emphasized execution, while noting the opportunity to play at home for the division is exactly the kind of situation the team wants, even if they’d like to take back pieces of how they got here.
Bowles struck a similar tone, but with sharper edges. He said the Buccaneers have to “erase” the latest loss and “get ourselves together before we worry about anybody else,” adding that the team has been “shooting ourselves in the foot” and that it starts with him needing to coach better and the players needing to execute better.
So, Tampa hosts Carolina with the NFC South title and a playoff home game at stake, while the crowd gets a tribute item that turns the stadium into a Mike Evans salute from the opening gates.
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