Blogging The Boys
The Buccaneers enter Sunday on quite the streak.
The Bucs’ top receiver had a huge day against Los Angeles.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers trailed the Los Angeles Chargers at halftime, needing some juice after two turnovers cost them dearly. Then, Mike Evans exploded
The star wideout found green grass on a scramble drill and Baker Mayfield hit him for a 57-yard touchdown. Two drives later, Evans toasted the Chargers defense again for a 35-yard touchdown. Boom. Halftime deficit turned into a double-digit lead. The Bucs would go on to win, 40-17, scoring the final 27 points of the game.
“I think he’s a guaranteed Hall of Famer,” coach Todd Bowles said of Evans, per the team’s official transcript. “He steps up and plays big. You can’t put a price on what he does for this team from a mental standpoint, from a physical standpoint and from a team standpoint. He is everything that a player aspires to be from a mental aspect. He’s tough. He does great in the community. He takes care of his body. He comes up big with plays, whether they’re singling him or doubling him, and he blocks. We can’t ask for anything more than what he is giving us right now.”
Calling Evans a Hall of Famer shouldn’t be considered a hot take — before or after Sunday’s performance. The Bucs star has been consistently great for a decade. He’s currently chasing Jerry Rice’s record of 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. Evans hit the 1K mark in each of his first 10 seasons. A hamstring injury that knocked him out three games put the streak in jeopardy, but Sunday’s explosion got him back on track.
Entering the game, Evans had 590 yards on 43 catches with seven touchdowns. His massive 159 yards on nine catches with two TDs puts 1,000 yards within striking distance. He needs to average 83.6 yards per game over the final three contests.
With Mike Evans rolling, having Godwin return would elevate Tampa’s offense even more.
The Bucs had injury added to insult on Monday Night Football when Tampa Bay lost at home to Baltimore back in Week 7. Not only did the Ravens trounce the Bucs, 41-31, but wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin suffered leg injuries in the loss.
Evans re-aggravated his hamstring in the second quarter, and that caused him to miss the next three games. But the injury Godwin suffered, a dislocated ankle, was far worse. Catching a pass with less than a minute left, Godwin was tackled by Ravens inside linebacker Roquan Smith, whose body weight landed on the receiver’s ankle. The Bucs immediately called for the cart and Godwin’s season was over in...
