The Tampa Bay Buccaneers head into their Week 14 clash with the New Orleans Saints trying to protect their NFC South lead without two important weapons for Baker Mayfield.

Head coach Todd Bowles confirmed that Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan have both been ruled out, even after returning to practice, as the team prioritizes getting them fully healthy for the stretch run of a tight divisional race.

While the roster is already stretched, the league just handed down another kind of hit. As Tom Pelissero reported, the NFL fined five players for “violent gestures” in Week 13, with Baker Mayfield docked $14,491 and running back Bucky Irving hit for $6,349 over their now-notorious “nose wipe” celebration. What looked like a lighthearted, edgy moment on the field turned into a costly bit of showmanship on Monday.

For Tampa Bay, the fines are more symbolic than crippling, but they highlight the thin line the NFL is drawing on on-field behavior.

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Mayfield plays with visible emotion and swagger, and Irving has brought juice to the backfield, but the league’s discipline makes clear that certain gestures, even if not directed aggressively at an opponent, will be treated as crosses into “violent” territory.

The Bucs will need their leaders locked in, not writing checks to the league office, as they grind through the final weeks.

At the same time, the broader health picture is slowly improving beyond this week’s absences. The Buccaneers are expected to open Jalen McMillan’s 21-day practice window after he suffered three fractured neck vertebrae in a preseason game against the Steelers and spent the entire 2025 season on injured reserve.

For now, though, the focus is simple: survive the Saints without Evans and McMillan, lean on Mayfield’s leadership and Irving’s energy, and make sure that the only hits the Buccaneers are taking are between the whistles, not from the league’s fine ledger.