Ten­nessee Titans line­backer Rashaan Evans was eject­ed Mon­day night after throw­ing a punch at Den­ver Bron­cos tight end Jake Butt late in the first quarter.

Butt and Evans were tied up on a run by Phillip Lind­say. After the play was over, Evans swung at Butt with his right hand and hit him in the helmet.

The loss of Evans was a big blow to the Titans’ defense. Evans led the team with 139 tack­les last sea­son. He also had 11 tack­les for loss.

Ten­nessee was already thin at line­backer with Vic Beasley Jr. and Der­ick Rober­son both out with knee injuries.