The Tampa Bay Buccaneers kept their playoff hopes alive with a convincing victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 13. They remain one game behind the NFC South-leading Atlanta Falcons, who are 6-6 on the season while Tampa Bay is 5-7.
A huge game lies ahead in Week 14, when the Buccaneers will travel to take on their division rivals. If they want to be crowned divisional champs this season, that is a game that they have to win.
One of the advantages that the Buccaneers will hold in the game is wide receiver Mike Evans. Evans is coming off of a dominant performance against the Panthers in which he caught seven passes for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield has looked Evans’ way early and often, as he has produced some monster numbers in 2023. On the season, the former first-round pick has caught 61 passes for 1,012 yards and 10 touchdowns.
With that performance, Evans has etched his name in NFL history. He has extended his streak of 1,000-yard seasons to start a career with 10. According to NFL on CBS on X, formerly known as Twitter, he has also joined Jerry Rice as the only players with 10 consecutive 1,000-yard seasons at any point in their careers.
Whenver you are mentioned in the same sentence as Rice, you are doing something right as a pass catcher. With five games remaining in the 2023 season, Evans is trending toward what could be the best season of his career.
This performance could not have come at a better time for Evans, who is playing out the final season on his contract. The record setting receiver should find some lucrative contract offers this offseason as one of the best players hitting the market.
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