3-touchdown effort earns Mike Evans NFC Offensive Player of the Week honor

TAMPA — For only the second time in his prosperous career, and first time since his rookie season, Mike Evans has earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

The ninth-year Bucs receiver was recognized three days after setting season highs in catches (10), receiving yards (207) and touchdown catches (three) in Sunday’s 30-24 win against the Panthers. His yardage total was 2 yards shy of his career best for one game, and 9 short of the franchise’s single-game record held by Vincent Jackson.

His touchdowns covered 63, 57 and 30 yards.

“They’ve been having a safety over the top and he’s been doubled most of the year, so (the deep ball) really hasn’t been there,” coach Todd Bowles said Monday. “We caught (the Panthers) in some single coverage and we made them pay.”

Evans now has three games of three touchdown catches in his nine-year career. Moreover, he now has seven games of 175 or more receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2014, tied for second most in that span. His 18 career games of two or more touchdown catches also are second most in the NFL since 2014.

Next Gen Stats indicates that Evans scored all three of his touchdowns on go routes, giving him 24 touchdowns on such routes since the beginning of the 2018 season, nine more than the next-closest player.

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.

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