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Sep 18, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) and safety Marcus Maye (6) get into a penalty with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) and they are ejected after the play during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans dominates battles vs. these cornerbacks

Originally posted on Tampa Bay Buccaneers on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Jun 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been the model of consistency over his 11-year NFL career. Since arriving in Tampa Bay out of Texas A&M, Evans has only put up 1,000-yard seasons, tying him with the great Jerry Rice for such consecutive years.

Evans has performed well as the WR1 for the Bucs, but has had the pressure off him somewhat ever since Chris Godwin joined the team as his running mate. Godwin's arrival didn't take away from Evans' production, and he remains one of the most underrated and underappreciated stars in the league.

Evans' dominance isn't just limited to a few teams or players throughout his career. However, Pro Football Focus took it upon themselves to identify recent one-sided matchups in the league, and Evans (not so surprisingly) claimed two spots.

Evans vs. CJ Henderson

"One of the best games of Evans’ career came in a division-clinching victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 of the 2022 season. Evans caught 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns, earning an elite 90.3 PFF game grade," writer Ryan Smith wrote. "Most of Evans’ damage came against cornerback CJ Henderson, who had an outing to forget (36.6). With Henderson in primary coverage, Evans caught seven of nine targets for 125 yards and two touchdowns for a perfect 158.3 passer rating."

Evans' ownership over Henderson might not be as highly touted as the next matchup on the list, but it goes without saying that he has been extremely efficient against him. Henderson might not have seen much action against Evans, but when he did, he didn't stand much of a chance against the drastically bigger wideout.

Henderson didn't play a single snap for any team in 2024, so the days of dominance by Evans seem to be over when discussing this matchup.

Evans vs. Marshon Lattimore

"Evans versus Lattimore has been one of the most publicized battles in the league for years now, as the two clashed many times as NFC South rivals. Their rivalry was renewed last year in the wild-card round after the Washington Commanders acquired Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints late in the season," Smith said of Evans against Lattimore. "Evans dominated that matchup, catching all six targets thrown his way for 84 yards and a touchdown (158.3 passer rating). Evans (91.8 PFF game grade) gave Lattimore (26.5) fits all night, also drawing a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone before his touchdown just one play later."

This is the one we all wanted to see. There is no doubt in anyone's minds that this would make the list. The hatred that exists between the Saints and Bucs carried over to Evans and Lattimore. There were multiple instances of scrums (fights) between the two during Lattimore's battles with Evans while in New Orleans.

While the two dueled it out in New Orleans, Evans' dominance over him didn't flourish until last season after Lattimore was traded to the Commanders. Evans might have gotten the best of Lattimore in their matchup a season ago, but it's worth noting that the latter was less than 100% due to injury.

Most of us would love to see this rivalry continue, but the matchups will be few and far between now that Lattimore is no longer in New Orleans, likely taming the rivalry now that they no longer see each other twice a year.