Saying Mike Evans is great is the equivalent of saying snow is white, but not all great players are clutch and not all clutch players are great. Drafted out of Texas A&M, the seventh overall selection in the 2014 NFL draft has spent the better portion of his football life in Tampa Bay without an opportunity to flash his clutch nature. His elite play has accumulated superior stats without many wins.
The last three years have rewritten the entire script of Mike Evans’ career. Tampa has been to the playoffs three consecutive seasons now, the only three times in Evans’ long-tenured Bucs career and Evans has had the NFL spotlight shine on his team as he has been given the chance to catch passes from the G.O.A.T. Three years of being in late-season contention leads to a lot of must-win games and ‘got to have it’ moments. When those moments have come calling, Mike Evans has answered.
In 2020, Mike Evans played in his first career playoff game. He was coming off an injury suffered just one week prior during Tampa Bay’s week 17 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons where Evans had made NFL history, recording the most 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start a career. Even with his status coming into the game regarded as somewhat uncertain, his first career playoff start did nothing but bring out the best in the Bucs receiver. He led all players with 119 yards on six catches with none bigger than a deep pass from Tom Brady with four minutes remaining in the game to set up Ryan Succop for a crucial lead-extending field goal.
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Week two of the Buccaneers’ 2020 playoff run saw Tampa pitted against a familiar opponent and Tampa’s star receiver face to face with an all-time rival. Evans would have to square off or maybe more so square up, considering the nature of the conflict between the two, with New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. The Buccaneers’ most difficult foe and the largest thorn in Evans’ side.
Not only was Tampa able to quiet the dome as they knocked the Saints out of the playoffs, but Mike Evans exited the game with his first career playoff touchdown, fittingly coming against none other than Marshon Lattimore.
The Buccaneers continued to roll through the postseason gauntlet as they traveled to Green Bay. Aaron Rodgers and Lambeau Field played host to Tom Brady and the Buccaneers in the NFC Championship game. Without a more storied setting possible, Evans was immediately up for the task, with a deep ball third-down reception on Tampa’s opening drive which he used to later set up his own touchdown catch. In what was to that point, Mike Evans’ biggest career game, he had made an instant impact.
With the ball in his hands, he stood withinside the endzone completing the sports establishing force with a Tampa Bay rating. Evans left Lambeau with fifty one yards receiving, the aforementioned touchdown, and his Buccaneers advancing to the franchise’s 2d Super Bowl.
Super Bowl fifty-five changed into ruled via way of means of Tampas protection and run game, with a maximum of the headlining highlights going to Hall of Fame tight cease Rob Gronkowski. Even still, it changed into Mike Evans now no longer Gronkowski, who completed with the sport’s longest reception, and it changed into Mike Evans who took over the sport on 3 separate events without touching the ball. Late withinside the first half, so as to place factors at the board earlier than the intermission, the Buccaneers did as they regularly do and released a deep ball for Evans. Bucs lovers can verify that Mike Evans is as accurate as any participant withinside the National Football League at locating a manner to attract touch while the ball is withinside the air and getting a flag thrown. Evans drew by skip interference in opposition to Bashaud Breeland to vault the Buccaneers down the field. Just performs later Evans changed into once more targeted, this time withinside the endzone, and once more drew a skip interference penalty. The 2d infraction located the ball on the one-backyard line and set the Buccaneers up for a smooth rating earlier than the half.
Tom Brady completed Super Bowl fifty-five with a perfect stat line, no fumbles, and no interceptions, however, that is additionally a way to Mike Evans. Mid 2d quarter, Tom Brady had a ball tipped up at the road of scrimmage that changed into intercepted via way of means of Tyrann Mathieu, however, there has been greater yellow at the field. Once once more, Mike Evans determined touch in his direction and triggered a penalty. Crediting a participant with drawing consequences feels cheap, like truly of a cop and it’d be if Evans wasn’t so always accurate at doing it. His Super Bowl overall performance changed into no fluke. The artwork of Flopping may also have a bad connotation related to it, however, it’s miles absolutely part of the Mike Evans bundle and have become a big element in Tampa’s Super Bowl victory.
In 2021, Tampa Bay cruised thru the ordinary season in the direction of a department title. As the season advanced the Tampa Bay Buccaneersremarkably deep organization of receivers began out taking over accidents and eradications. By seasons cease what changed into the inner most and maximum proficient function organization at the crew had turned out to be Mike Evans and a number of unknowns.
Even because the state of affairs trended closer to Mike Evans or bust the Buccaneers grew to become to their mythical skip catcher who changed into up for the challenge. Tampa Bay began its playoff run in opposition to the Philadelphia Eagles. Mike Evans left the Eagles secondary in shambles together along with his all-around exceptional playoff overall performance to date, tallying up a recreation excessive 9 catches for 117 yards and an acrobatic landing because the Buccaneers stomped the Eagles.
Tampas 2021 season didnt develop beyond the Divisional spherical of the playoffs, however, blame cant be located on the ft of Mike Evans. Drawing a as an alternative hard man or woman matchup for the second one consecutive 12 months withinside the Divisional spherical, Evans changed into requested to head up in opposition to one of the leagues exceptional in Jalen Ramsey.
In the recreations marquee matchup of Ramsey, who had tied his profession excessive in interceptions in 2021, suiting up for a Rams protection which had simply come off a dominating overall performance in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals the week earlier and Mike Evans who had simply broken his very own non-public document for landing receptions in a season, snagging 14 changed into gained through Evans. While his crew suffered defeat the Buccaneers` all-time landing chief helped lead a heroic comeback to try that in the end fell barely short. Mike Evans ended his 2021 season with a bang, hauling in 8 receptions for 119 yards consisting of a one-on-one deep ball landing in opposition to Jalen Ramsey.
This leads us to 2022. It a season which has been, through many debts a sadness and one in every of Tom Brady`s worst. The Buccaneers muddled thru the maximum of the season apparently not able to execute very a great deal of whatever at all. Mike Evans struggled to get any momentum going, disappearing without a logical stage of goals for weeks at a time, leaving his streak of consecutive 1,000-backyard seasons apparently in jeopardy. This all modified whilst Tampa Bay located itself in every week 17 must-win recreation.
The Buccaneers had their again pinned up in opposition to the proverbial wall, desiring to win to assure themselves a niche withinside the postseason and Mike Evans exploded. Scoring now no longer one, or two, however, 3 touchdowns, on ten catches, whilst accounting for 207 yards receiving. When the Bucs located themselves in a niche wherein they had to prevail, Evans performed his coronary heart out.
Every fan desires of having massive time gamers make massive time performs in massive time games for his or her crew, in opposition to the Carolina Panthers, Mike Evans personified this in recreation in addition to postgame— “I simply think… We like moments like this, whilst our again is in opposition to the wall.”
