With five games left in the Bucs’ 2024 regular season, future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans is in danger of falling short of 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career. If he doesn’t get there, his streak of consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons will end at 10. He is one step short of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s record of 11 seasons.
Bucks WR Mike Evans – Photo courtesy of USA Today
He missed three games due to a hamstring injury. Evans is behind schedule in reaching 1,000 yards.. But last Sunday, he made up for lost time by having his first 100-yard game of the season, catching eight passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. This performance brings him to 521 yards this season, putting him 479 yards away from hitting the 1,000-yard mark.
To gain those 479 yards to reach 1,000 yards and extend his streak to a record-tying 11 seasons, Evans would need to average 95.8 yards per game over the Bucs’ final five games. It helps that he just eclipsed that mark in Sunday’s 26-23 overtime win over the Panthers, but the harsh reality is that the 11th-year receiver has eclipsed 95.8 yards per game this season. This was the first time. He is currently averaging 57.9 yards per game in the nine tournaments he has played.
Is it possible for Evans to catch fire late and try another 100-yard game to extend his winning streak? Absolutely not. This is Mike Evans we’re talking about. But that seems unlikely, and time is running out for the best offensive player in Tampa Bay history.
Mike Evans is more behind schedule than ever
Mike Evans’ streak of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons has had several close calls in the past. He finished with just 1,001 yards in 2017, and barely eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in 2020, reaching 1,006 yards before leaving the final game of the season early with an injury. But this year, due to injuries, Evans has been slower than ever.
Bucks WR Mike Evans – Photo courtesy of USA Today
With only five games remaining for the Bucs, Evans has 521 yards. This is the lowest total yardage of his career with five games left in the season. That partly speaks to his consistency and partly to his ability to stay on the field. But the reality this year is he’s missed three games and faces long odds of reaching 1,000 by the time time expires in Tampa Bay’s Week 18 final game against New Orleans.
Mike Evans – Yards by season with 5 games remaining:
2014 – 841
2015 – 789
2016 – 1,020
2017 – 702
2018 – 1,073
2019 – 1,043
2020 – 563
2021 – 794
2022 – 761
2023 – 1,012
2024 – 521
Evans’ next lowest total with five games remaining came in the 2020 season, when he played 1,006 games. It took a couple of big 100-yard performances to move up in the final five games of the year. He had 110 yards against the Falcons and 181 yards on the day against the Lions. No. 13 will need another 100 or 120-yard game in the coming weeks to have a chance of reaching 1,000 yards in the final week or two of the season.
Mike Evans will be given the job in the next three weeks.
Bucks WR Mike Evans – Photo courtesy of USA Today
The Bucks have five games remaining, starting Sunday against the Raiders at Raymond James Stadium. And this game against the Raiders will be the start of a three-game series in which Mike Evans and Tampa Bay’s passing game will face off against the pass defense. Ranked in the top half of the NFL In 2024.
Las Vegas is allowing 212.9 passing yards per game this season, which ranks 14th in the league. Next up is a trip to Los Angeles to face the Chargers, who are giving up 206.4 yards per game through the air. This ranks 10th in the NFL. Then there’s the Sunday Night Football game against the Cowboys at Jerry World. Dallas ranks 13th against the pass, allowing 212.1 passing yards per game.
So Evans is expected to work the next three games. He will need to regain some ground, but he will need to do so against some solid pass defenses. The Raiders and Chargers are similarly strong against points and sit near the middle of the pack. The Bucks will definitely mix things up in those games, and there will be an opportunity for Baker Mayfield to connect with Evans. This connection will be needed to maximize their chances in the next two games.
As for Dallas, the Cowboys’ run defense is one of the worst in the league. Will Tampa Bay lose so many runs in Week 16 that it will deprive Evans of a chance to be targeted? perhaps. The bottom line is that offensive coordinator Liam Cohen is building a game plan with the goal of winning games, not extending Evans’ winning streak (obviously).
But if the 31-year-old can get the 479 yards he needs over the last three games, he’ll have some great chances to break through and reach 1,000 yards in the final two weeks of the season. That’s because in Week 17, the Bucs will face a Panthers team where Evans just had an eight-catch, 118-yard performance.
That would give him a chance to close the gap even further, as he and Tampa Bay’s offense will face New Orleans, which boasts the 29th-ranked pass defense in the final game of the season.
It may not be very likely that Mike Evans will reach 1,000 yards in an 11th straight season, tying Jerry Rice’s all-time record. But that losing streak isn’t over yet, which means there’s still a chance.
