The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their way to SoFi Stadium in Week 15 to take on the Los Angeles Chargers and came away with a massive 40-17 victory over one of the best defenses in the league. The Bucs likely could have dropped this game and still had a shot to make the playoffs, but coming away with the win will only help them in their goal to win the NFC South with just three games left in the regular season.
The Bucs’ offense had been up and down recently despite going 3-0 after the bye week, and offensive coordinator Liam Coen drew up an absolute masterclass against the Chargers. While much of the attention has gone towards Tampa Bay’s vaunted running game, future Hall of Famer Mike Evans stole the show on Sunday.
Against the Chargers, who own one of the best coverage units in the league, Evans went off for 9 catches, 159 yards, and two touchdowns to help lift the Bucs to a victory, and in doing so he passed Jimmy Smith, Antonio Brown, and Brandon Marshall on the all-time NFL receiving yards list.
Evans, now at 12,429 yards in his career, can continue to climb the leaderboards and is in prime position to reach his 11th straight season of 1,000 receiving yards. Following the game social media took off with Evans’ performance and noted that he passed his former teammate Antonio Brown. So, in typical fashion, AB took to his ‘X’ to comment.
While Brown is one of the more special talents to ever touch an NFL field and his statements ring true, the two wideouts couldn’t be any further apart in who they are and how they play. The personas, for one, differ drastically as Brown became a “Primadonna” wide receiver over the course of his career (see him walking off the field for the last time when the Bucs played the Jets) while Evans has quietly gone about his business.
Their playing styles also are much different, as Brown was primarily a route runner with good speed with an incredible knack for making tough catches. Meanwhile, Evans is a big-bodied wide receiver who uses his strength and power to separate from defenders while showing surprising speed.
Evans will look to continue climbing the ladder in Week 16 when the Buccaneers stay on the road and head to Texas to take on the Dallas Cowboys. He is just 251 yards away from his 11th consecutive season with 1,000 receiving yards.
