TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has more than earned the benefit of the doubt when it comes to dropping passes in games. But even Evans was stunned when he failed to haul in an easy touchdown catch in Sunday’s Bucs 20-6 win over the Tennessee Titans. 

In Monday’s “Bucs with Bowles” interview with News Channel 8’s Dan Lucas, Bucs’ head coach Todd Bowles talked about the dropped pass and Evans’s amazing recovery on the next series.

“When you got your bell cow, and you’re riding him, and he makes a mistake – you go right back to him,” Bowles said. “The best way to get over that is to throw it right back to him.” 

Evans hauled in a 27-yard catch on a third-down play during the next Bucs offensive drive, then a 22-yard touchdown from quarterback Baker Mayfield. 

It was another day of progress by Tampa Bay’s offense but a game that will be remembered for the rebound of the Bucs’ defense. 

One week after blowing a lead on the final series against the Houston Texans, the Bucs defense kept the Titans out of the end zone and sacked quarterback Will Levis four times. 

“You want to play well after a performance like that,” Bowles said. “I thought those guys locked in. You can look in the mirror, or you can run away from it.” 

The Bucs victory pulls them back to within half a game of first place in the NFC South. Both the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons lost their respective games on Sunday.