Sunday could be the last-ever meeting between future Hall of Fame quarterback legends Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay and Tom Brady of Tampa Bay'with Brady dropping serious hints about retirement after this season. The Buccaneers opened as 3-point home favorites for this matchup but have since been knocked down to -2.5 at Caesars Sportsbook after four-time Pro Bowl receiver Mike Evans was suspended for Week 3.
A brawl broke out during Sunday's Buccaneers win in New Orleans . Evans decked Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore, which escalated things. The two have a history of bad blood and that may have played a role in Evans being suspended, although Lattimore hasn't been. It's the second time in Evans' career that has been suspended for a run-in with Lattimore. He was also suspended one game in 2017 for hitting the defender.
Evans didn't think he would get suspended this time, saying after Sunday's game: “Naw, naw, naw, naw. That was terrible — 2017 I didn't even get ejected and that was really a cheap shot. This wasn't. He punched my teammate in the face and I just pushed him to the ground.”
Former NFL player Jon Runyan, who now serves as the league's vice president of football operations, issued the suspension and told Evans in a letter that, “After a play had ended, you were walking toward your sidelines. When you noticed your teammates engaged in a confrontation with Saints' p layers, you ran toward that area on the field and violently threw your body into and struck an unsuspecting opponent who was part of that confrontation. Your aggressive conduct could have caused serious injury to your opponent and clearly does not reflect the high standards of sportsmanship expected of a professional.”