Everything is breaking the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ way, to the point that it’s almost hard to believe. This is a team that just a month ago was in the midst of a potentially season-ending losing streak that threatened to throw everything off track.

Since then, the Bucs haven’t lost a game, have turned back into one of the most dangerous offenses in the NFL, and have started down the sort of path that Super Bowl champions have walked. There’s a lot of road left to travel, but we’ve seen teams get hot this time of year and ride that wave deep into the playoffs, and everything Tampa Bay is doing is something the rest of the league should take notice of.

If they’re not watching, then they should be listening.

Mike Evans sent a warning shot to the rest of the NFC after dominating the Chargers in Week 15

Not only was the 40-17 win over the Chargers a signature victory, it featured a return to form for Mike Evans. He finished the afternoon with 159 yards and two touchdowns, something that helped put a dent in the remaining yards he needs to get in order to reach 1,000 yards on the season once again.

After dominating the Chargers defense, Evans dropped a quote that will have Bucs fans ready to run through the nearest wall.

“You know, I’m finally starting to feel like myself again,” Evans said. “Had that time off, getting back in the swing of things, and I’m feeling pretty good.”

Let’s absolutely go.

Evans looked like his old self on Sunday but the fact that he seems to be feeling that way too only makes things better. The Bucs still have a ton of work ahead of them if they want to truly make a playoff push, and Evans operating at peak levels is the surest way to keep things moving in the righ direction.

At this point it’s about more than simply making the playoffs — that part of the plan seems close to certain. What the Bucs need to do is build on what they did last season, which means reaching the NFC Championship Game or more. Getting back to the Divisional Round is the first step, and Evans playing the way he is right now is dangerous for defenses to have to deal with.

The NFC is extremely winnable, with the Lions suffering some serious injury setbacks and the Bucs having already shown they can beat the Eagles and Commanders. The Vikings always find a way to step on a landmine in the playoffs and a revenge game against the Rams would be poetic. Nothing about the field should scare the Bucs, but the same can’t be said for everyone else when it comes to how well Tampa Bay’s offense is humming.

Putting up 40 points on the No. 1 scoring defense in the league was a statement, and Evans’ saying that he feels like he’s back is a John Wick-ian warning shot.