Baker Mayfield had to cook for a lot of friends on Sunday. First, he rallied the Buccaneers from a 16-6 halftime deficit. Then, after icing a 27-19 win over the Saints that clinched the Buccaneers’ fourth straight NFC South title, he had to take care of his friend.
With 36 seconds left, Tampa Bay took possession on its own 32-yard line needing only to take a knee and walk off the field. But Mike Evans still needed 5 receiving yards to tie Jerry Rice’s NFL record with 11 straight 1,000-yard seasons. Knowing it was their last shot, the Bucs held an important sideline meeting.
“The conversation was like, ‘Alright, well, obviously we can’t turn the ball over. Can’t give them another chance. But how do we want to formulate this play to get Mike the ball to where he can’t get double-covered?’” Mayfield said. “And that’s what we came up with and Mike did the rest.”
Evans ran a short out route, took the pass from Mayfield and weaved his way for 9 yards to improve his season-ending total to 1,004. The veteran receiver popped up, spiked the ball and danced to the sideline, celebrating with his ecstatic teammates. Mayfield said Evans always puts the team first.
“That’s why you love him,” said Mayfield, who was 21 of 31 for 221 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. “We’re lucky to have him. He’s underappreciated throughout the media and the league. He’s one of one. He deserves that. You saw the stadium erupt. You saw the sideline erupt. You can tell how much people care about him and what that means for everybody around him.”
It also meant a $3 million bonus for Evans. The receiver’s contract provides an incentive should the veteran reach 70 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards and 10 receiving touchdowns. He ended the regular season with 74 catches for 1,004 yards and 11 touchdowns. Afterward, Evans credited his defense for giving him one last shot.
“I was hoping we got a stop because I can’t pass up history,” said Evans, who registered nine catches for 89 yards in the win. “I’m happy they let me go out and get that. It’s hard to do for 11 straight years. To be tied with one of, if not the greatest receiver of all time, it means a lot to me and my family.”
The Buccaneers rebounded from a Monday night game on Oct. 21 in which they lost both starting receivers, Evans and Chris Godwin. While Evans missed three games with a hamstring injury, Godwin missed the rest of the season with a dislocated ankle.
Tampa Bay got excellent production, however, from rookie Jalen McMillan. The third-round selection finished the season with touchdown receptions in five straight games. Only one other rookie in the league-merger era (1970-present) authored such a streak, Randy Moss in 1998. McMillan caught five passes for 74 yards on Sunday, including a phenomenal, go-ahead touchdown catch to give Tampa Bay its first lead with 10:09 in the fourth quarter.
The Bucs (10-7) not only held off the Falcons in the NFC South, they also improved their seeding in the NFC playoffs. The conference’s No. 3 team, the Buccaneers will host the Commanders (12-5) in the wild-card round next week.
For more information on the Buccaneers and Saints, visit the Tampa Bay and New Orleans team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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