The Tennessee Titans were down a key defensive starter early on in the Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos after inside linebacker Rashaan Evans was ejected in the first quarter.
Evans got into a scuffle with Broncos tight end Jake Butt that resulted in the linebacker throwing a punch, leading to his ejection.
Following the game, Evans was contrite about his mistake and vowed to make up for it, per Erik Bacharach of the Tennessean.
“It was basically an overreaction after the play. A little bit after the whistle, there was a little tussle and I ended up overreacting by hitting him,” Evans explained. “But at the end of the day, man, I’ve got to keep playing, get ready for next week and basically make up for it. I was able to have an opportunity to apologize to the rest of the guys to say that I was going to make up for it. All I can do right now is just keep doing what I’ve been doing and stay focused.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel also touched on the subject and noted that Evans has to do a better job keeping his composure in that situation.
Vrabel: @616evans4 has to keep his composure (on ejection). When you throw a punch, that's what happens. I think he'll learn from it. @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 15, 2020
Thankfully, the Titans were able to overcome the loss of Evans to still put out a solid effort defensively, but the third-year pro’s mistake could have proven costly if his teammates didn’t pick him up.
Evans will get a chance to atone for his blunder when the Titans host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
