TAMPA, Fla. — Help is on the way for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and it’s coming in the form of Pro Bowl wide receiver and the franchise’s all-time leading receiver Mike Evans.
Evans has missed the last three games with a hamstring injury, tied for the longest absence of his 11-year career, and coach Todd Bowles said he is trending towards a return when they travel to face the New York Giants on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
“Just talking to him, he seems really positive about it,” quarterback Baker Mayfield said of Evans. “I mean, you guys know Mike’s a pro. He’s going to do everything he can to get back out there with us and fight for this team as we take it one game at a time.”
But it’s not just about helping the Bucs climb out of a 4-6 hole for another late season playoff push like they did last year — it’s also Evans’ pursuit of history, even if it’ll be an uphill climb to achieve it. If he manages to record 1,000 receiving yards this season, he’d tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at 11. He already has the record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons to start a career at 10.
Evans, 31, needs 665 receiving yards with seven games remaining to accomplish this feat. He would need to average 95 yards per game to reach 1,000 yards. It’s a tall order but not impossible. In 2019, for instance, he missed three games because of a hamstring injury and still mustered 1,157 receiving yards.
If Evans’ streak comes to an end this season, he can still catch for most 1,000-yard seasons total. Rice has 14, while Evans is currently tied with Randy Moss for second most. The next closest active players are Amari Cooper and Julio Jones with seven.
Evans averaged 51.7 yards per game this season, but his six touchdowns were among the most in the NFL when he went down and were tied for the second most in his career for the first seven games of the regular season.
For the Bucs, Evans will be left to pick up the production left behind by his running mate Chris Godwin, who was off to a blistering start to the year. Before Godwin suffered a dislocated left ankle that ended his season in the same game that Evans went down in against the Baltimore Ravens, he had 50 catches and 576 yards — which still leads the team.
Without Evans and Godwin, the Bucs leaned more on their running backs, various wide receivers and tight end Cade Otton, who had 193 receiving yards and three touchdowns in that span.
“I’m happy that they’re giving these opportunities, even though it’s unfortunate how things went down with me and Chris,” Evans told ESPN earlier this month. “I’m happy that everybody’s getting opportunities to play because we have a fantastic roster, and it’s starting to show when they get more opportunities, they make plays, so that’s good for them and I can’t wait to come help them win games.”
Against the Giants, Evans has averaged 109.2 receiving yards — his fourth-best average against any team — and he has recorded seven touchdowns. But New York has a stingy pass defense so far this season, surrendering just 184.2 yards per game through the air — the fourth-best mark.
They also get to the quarterback. Their 36 sacks ranks second, so long-developing pass plays may not happen, especially with Tristan Wirfs nursing a sprained MCL.
“I’ve been in a situation where you’re trying force feed the ball to a guy, and that’s not how this offense works especially,” Mayfield said of Evans. “So staying true to the reads, defense will dictate where the ball needs to go. When we have our one-on-one matchups with him, we need to take advantage of it though.”
The Bucs find themselves chasing the Atlanta Falcons (6-5) in the NFC South and have lost four straight. This marks their toughest challenge in the division in years. Yes, the Falcons have lost two in a row, but they already hold the tiebreaker over the Bucs after sweeping them.
The thing that is in the Bucs’ favor is that they have the easiest remaining schedule, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index.
“Mike’s a big part of the offense, so he is going to be in the ball game when he comes back,” Bowles said when asked about Evans being able to keep his streak alive, “and then we’ll go from there and see how they’re playing us and take it from there.
Mayfield added, “I mean, you guys have been around Mike for long enough now — the streak — yeah, it’s important to us, but he cares about winning. He’s a huge part of this offense when he is in there. So I think that’ll come naturally.”
