Bucs rally to win NFC South; late catch gives Evans 1K yards

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Buccaneers clinched the NFC South for the fourth straight season and Mike Evans reached 1,000 receiving yards for the 11th straight year, tying Jerry Rice's NFL record, as Tampa Bay defeated the New Orleans Saints 27-19 on Sunday.

Evans secured the milestone with a catch on the Bucs' final play.

"It's been hard to do for 11 straight years, and to be tied with one of the -- if not the greatest receiver of all time -- it means a lot to me and my family," Evans said. "NFC South champs, and then tied in history with Jerry Rice, so that made it that much [sweeter]."

Evans then said of his teammates: "I love those guys to death."

Leading 20-19 with two minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield looked for Evans in the end zone, a pass that, if completed, would have gotten the franchise's all-time leading scorer to 1,000 yards. But on a second-and-2 from the New Orleans' 11-yard line, Mayfield saw Evans was double-covered and instead flipped the ball to rookie Bucky Irving, who ran it in for a touchdown.

On one hand, it was, as Mayfield put it, "Win or you're on vacation. And nobody in this locker room wants to go on vacation."

But on the other hand, Mayfield said: "S---.' We won the game -- great -- but now I'm going to be the guy that didn't get [Evans] 1,000 yards, so now Mike is going to have to play 11 more years.

"But all jokes aside, the most important thing's winning, but you have a little second on the sideline there to realize that you're that close to it."

Added Bucs coach Todd Bowles: "Everybody wanted him to have it. ... Obviously, Bucky, with experience, probably should have gone down, and we talked about it."

Evans knew it, too, but didn't complain. Twice the Bucs were down by 10 points Sunday. It was a scrappy ballgame. And it took him seven years before he got to taste the playoffs, which he'll now reach for the fifth straight year.

Plus his protégé, rookie wideout Jalen McMillan, scored the go-ahead touchdown with 10:18 to go on a 32-yard go route, a moment that left Evans feeling proud. He had reached out to McMillan immediately after the Bucs selected him in the third round of the NFL draft in April and sent him a playbook right away. And it was McMillan who had to step up when Chris Godwin suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October.

The franchise's longest-tenured player and one of the most philanthropic in team history, Evans always put the team above himself.

"He always has. That's why you love him," Mayfield said. "That's why we appreciate having him, we're lucky to have him. He's underappreciated throughout the media, the league and just -- he's one of one. He deserved that."

On the ensuing possession, it took eight plays for the defense to get off the field, but it forced Spencer Rattler to throw incompletions on third-and-5 and fourth-and-5, which resulted in a turnover on downs with 36 seconds to go.

"I was hoping to get a stop, because I can't pass up history," Evans said. "The defense -- they knew the record was on the line, too. ... I knew I was going to get it. I was getting it no matter what. I knew we were going to get this ball no matter what."

The moment brought the fans at Raymond James Stadium to their feet in anticipation, with the Bucs' video boards flashing images of people wearing No. 13 jerseys as the team called timeout.

Evans said he looked at Bowles and offensive coordinator Liam Coen, and they told him: "Go out there, we are going to try and get you this record."

Added Bowles: "It was awfully close. It was a matter of what kind of pass we were going to throw. I didn't want an interception. We talked about screens and slants, and knew they were going to double him."

All game, Saints defenders had been pointing to Evans, saying, "Stay on 13, outside leverage, I've got your help inside," Evans said. "They kept saying it over and over, so we knew that they were aware of the record. I'm just happy I got it."

From the Tampa Bay 32, the Bucs sent Evans in motion to the slot, with a slant-flat combo, where Sterling Shepard, who was lined up next to him, and McMillan, who was on the outside, each ran slants against man coverage, with Evans trailing behind Shepard to get him open.

"We already knew what we were going to do," McMillan said. "Mike was on the flat route, so I just knew I had to take my guy inside and to have his eyes on me, and Shep did a great job of making the defender go under. I mean, we knew we had to get Mike that 1K, and we did."

Evans caught the pass just in front of the Tampa Bay 35, pivoted and remained upright despite getting hit by cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry and safety Will Harris before flipping onto his back at the 41. He shot up into the air and pumped his fist triumphantly. McMillan enveloped Evans' helmet with his hands, jumping out and down, with left tackle Tristan Wirfs and Shepard joining the celebration as Evans ran toward the sideline.

"Obviously, you saw a stadium erupt, the whole sideline erupt -- you can tell how much people care about him and what that means for everybody around him," Mayfield said.

Added Bowles: "He earned it. He's done everything for this organization and this team ..."

The video screens flashed, "Etched in history: M1KE EVANS," with a giant "1,000" in gold letters and an image of Evans running through them, "1,000+ receiving yards" and "11 consecutive seasons" followed by the date. It then showed his family celebrating, as Evans made his way toward the sideline to share the moment with fans.

He thought of one of his idols, Pro Football Hall of Famer Randy Moss, who was recently diagnosed with cancer and who had issued him a personal challenge.

"He told me when I broke his record to start my career -- I broke his record initially of six straight (1,000 yard seasons) to start my career -- he challenged me to do it every year of my career," Evans said. "So, that's always been in the back of my mind coming from one of my idols, a guy I've trained with, [and] a guy who has helped me get to where I am. I've been praying for you big bro, and I'm going to try to do what you challenged me to do."

Evans missed three games this season because of a hamstring injury, which coincided with the loss of Godwin as the team fell to 4-6 after four straight losses heading into its Week 11 bye. With Evans returning in Week 12 against the New York Giants, the Bucs won five out of their final six games.

They ultimately would have reached the playoffs even with a loss Sunday, as the Atlanta Falcons fell to the Carolina Panthers 44-38 in overtime to finish 8-9. With the Seattle Seahawks beating the Los Angeles Rams 30-25, the Bucs moved into the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 Washington Commanders (Tampa Bay opened as a 2.5-point favorite, per ESPN BET). The teams also met in Week 1, with the Bucs winning, 37-20.

Bowles said the team had been molded by adversity throughout the season, which included starting safety Jordan Whitehead going on the reserve/non-football injury list after he was injured in a car accident Saturday morning on the way to the team's walkthrough. Because of injuries, the Bucs were missing three of their starting defensive backs Sunday in Whitehead, All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and starting cornerback Jamel Dean. They also were without top tight end Cade Otton.

"[It] makes you stronger," Bowles said. "You can't not fail or have some bad things happen to you and be successful. We have to go through that part of it. That makes you mentally tough, it makes you resilient and helps you grow. It helps you understand the mistakes and things you have to do better. We went through a bunch of that, as most teams do that make it do, but it helped us grow in the second half of the season and correct the things and they're seeing the fruits of their labor."