Mike Evans made his highly-anticipated return against the Falcons and had the crowd fixated with captivating play. He became the offensive catalyst in prime-time and led the way with six receptions for 132 yards. It marked Evans' 39th career 100-yard performance, and his first since Week 15 of the 2024 season against the Los Angeles Chargers. His 39 career 100-yard games are tied for the fourth-most among active players, trailing only Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins and Keenan Allen.
Evans increased his career regular-season yardage total to 12,956 and with 44 more, he would become the 22nd player in NFL history surpass 13,000 receiving yards. He also ranks 10th in league annals with 106 touchdown receptions. Evans leads the Bucs in nearly every statistical category for the receiver position and throughout his tenure, Evans' efforts have proved spellbinding. After a six-week absence due to a broken collarbone and ensuing surgery, Evans returned in Week 15 and showcased his subtleties on routes to bait coverage, high-point capability and physicality.
Evans is the only receiver in NFL history with 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of his first 11 seasons and he is tied with Hall of Famer Jerry Rice for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons overall. Due to the culmination of injuries and circumstances out of his control, Evans this season will not be able to reach the uncommon milestone that he made look routine.
"I broke my collarbone and had the concussion in one and I knew it was over," said Evans via the Players’ Table Show on his streak. "It is just one of those things that it wasn't meant to be and that is okay and I am cool with that. I tied with Jerry Rice, one of the greatest ever, if not the greatest player ever, so that is enough for me. I just want to help my team get to the playoffs now…50 seasons of Buccaneers history and I am in the history books as a Tampa Bay Buccaneer tied with Jerry Rice. That is amazing and you cannot even think of that as a kid to draw that up or to dream about that. So, I have been blessed to be a staple of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers."
After missing five games with a fibula injury, Chris Godwin Jr. returned against the Rams in Week 12 and has since emerged as a go-to target for Baker Mayfield with his yards-after-catch prowess. Along with Evans, Jalen McMillan, who had missed the entirety of the 2025 slate with a neck injury, suited up against the Falcons on Thursday Night Football. He hauled in a couple critical grabs to extend drives for Tampa Bay, energizing the offense.
"We were thinking what if we all come back together and what we could truly be and that is one of the best receiver rooms on the planet and we are trying to get into that form right now and help this team continue to make plays," noted Evans.
