The Buccaneers enter Sunday on quite the streak.
Mike Evans, ‘guaranteed Hall of Famer,’ explodes for 159 yards, two TDs in Buccaneers’ win over Chargers – Kevin Patra, NFL.com
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.
Could Chris Godwin Return To The Bucs For The Playoffs? – Scott Reynolds, PewterReport.com
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 an instant.
Or was it?
The next day at his press conference, Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles offered some optimism, suggesting that Godwin may be able to return if the Bucs make the postseason and go deep into the playoffs.
“He’ll probably be out for the year,” Bowles said. “There’s a chance, if we make a late playoff run, that he could be back but he’s undergoing surgery and he’s going to be out.”
Godwin spent a few moments discussing his recovery and was asked if he could return for the playoffs.
“Man, recovery is going great,” Godwin said. “It’s a slow grind for sure, but like anything else, it just takes a lot of work. And that’s what I’m focused on – just putting in the work and trying to help and trying to get back to my teammates as quick as possible.”
Jamel Dean Breaks Down Interception, Pre-Snap Process – Brianna Dix, Buccaneers.com
Both sides of the ball put on a show against the Chargers.
Defensively, Tampa Bay put on a clinic against the Chargers in Week 15. The Bucs limited the Chargers’ offense to just 206 total yards – the lowest total allowed by the Bucs in a game in 2024. The Chargers went 0-for-6 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down in the matchup and rushed for a season-low 32 yards. Los Angeles totaled just 14 first downs on Sunday, the fewest surrendered by Tampa Bay in a game all season.
In the third quarter, Bucs’ veteran cornerback Jamel Dean intercepted a Justin Herbert pass intended for Quentin Johnston to record his first interception of the season and the eighth of his NFL career. Herbert had not thrown an interception on his previous 335 passing attempts – the fifth-longest streak all-time. He tied Tom Brady for the longest such streak by a quarterback within a season in NFL history (minimum of 15 attempts in each start) and Dean ended the prolific streak. With outside leverage and his eye on the ball, Dean spun around and hauled in the pick on Herbert’s floater, sparking the Bucs’ defense at SoFi Stadium.
“I was guarding Quentin Johnston, and he is the fast, vertical guy,” said Dean on Bucs Total Access. ”In my mind, I thought, ‘He is the fast vertical guy, so they know I am going to take shots backed up. Eventually, he is going to test one of the corners.’ He does it at least two or three times a game and he helped me when he did an inside release. So, I was in a comfortable situation because I could see the receiver and I could see the ball. Once the ball was in the air and I could see that the receiver was not paying attention, I just played the ball.”
