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Bucs Turn Heads With Evans' 1,000-Yard Streak Plan

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jan 3, 2025 10:45 AM ET

When Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans suffered a hamstring injury that left him sidelined for multiple weeks, many thought that his streak of 1,000 receiving yards in 10 consecutive seasons would be broken.

Needing at last 95 yards in his remaining games, Evans has returned with a vengeance and is now on 915 yards with one game to play.

Against the New Orleans Saints, Evans needs 85 receiving yards to make it 11 straight seasons of 1,000 yards, matching Jerry Rice as the only receivers to accomplish the feat, and offensive coordinator Liam Coen knows how important it is.

"I'm pretty aware," Coen said of his head-turning wideout’s situation. "He knows, obviously we're all aware, the team wants it just because of the human being [he is]. You want what's best for him with the team first mentality, that's who he is so it doesn't matter. But the guys all want it for him anyway."

Clearly, job No. 1 for the Buccaneers is to take care of business against the Saints as their playoff hopes rest on winning.

We imagine that Evans will again play a big role in Tampa Bay, getting itself into a winning position and hitting 85 yards is very doable, considering he's done it four times already this year.

So while the key emphasis for the Buccaneers is to secure its 10th win, if the game is in hand and Evans still needs yards you can bet your house that Coen will dial up play after play for Evans to ensure he gets his 85 yards for the day.

It has been a good year for the Buccaneers, and the cherry on top would be to ensure Evans' streak of 1,000-yard seasons continues.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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