Mike Evans made NFL history with an eight-yard reception to close out the Buccaneers’ Week 18 victory, and he was mobbed by his Tampa Bay teammates in doing so.
Evans’ final catch against the Saints helped him rack up more than 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th consecutive season, tying the NFL record previously held only by Jerry Rice until Sunday.
The post-route drop also helped Evans earn a $3 million bonus as he crossed the 1,000-yard mark this season.
Everyone inside Raymond James Stadium seemed to know the situation with less than a minute left, and Evans was five yards away from losing both his streak and the lucrative bonus.
In a situation where Tampa Bay typically called for a quarterback to kneel and watch the rest of the time on the scoreboard, Baker Mayfield threw the ball.
Evans was open and surpassed his all-time mark as soon as he walked onto the field with the pigskin in hand. His teammates then harassed him to the bench and beyond.
Mike Evans made NFL history with an eight-yard reception to close out the Buccaneers’ victory.
Evans’ final catch helped him accumulate more than 1,000 yards for the 11th consecutive season.
Evans has spent his entire professional career in Tampa Bay, replicating the feat Rice accomplished as a member of the 49ers.
Rice’s streak likely would have been 13 years reaching that total if he didn’t tear his ACL during Week 1 of the 1997 NFL season.
Now the door is open for Evans to make NFL history in the fall, as he continues to be the top target for whoever the Buccaneers quarterback becomes.
Mayfield has found his NFL groove in Tampa Bay in large part thanks to a consistent target like Evans.
After Tampa Bay’s 27-19 victory over New Orleans, it will host a wild-card playoff game against the Commanders, Vikings or Lions.
The Buccaneers’ standing depends on whether the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Seahawks to stay ahead of them in the standings. A loss would send the loser of Sunday night’s NFC North showdown to the West Coast.