The Tampa Bay Buccaners fell to the New Orleans Saints by a score of 31-24 last week, dropping the Buccaneers to 2-3 on the season.
During the loss, wide receiver Mike Evans was held without a catch, marking only the second time that has happened in Evans' six-year career.
Now, heading into Tampa Bay's Week 6 game against the Carolina Panthers in London, quarterback Jameis Winston knows that Evans needs to get the ball for the Bucs to be successful:
“Bottom line, to win football games, we’ve got to get Mike Evans the ball,” said Winston, according to Eduardo A. Encina of The Tampa Bay Times.
And how will the Buccaneers do that against a Panthers defense that will surely be trying to take Evans away? Winston said Evans' success will be determined by a combination of factors:
“I think (it’s on) everybody, me, the coaches. I think everybody can help get him more involved, get him the football,” Winston said. “We’ve just got to get him the ball. There’s nothing much else to say to it.”
On the season overall, Evans has logged 18 catches for 368 yards and four touchdowns. A big chunk of that production came during Tampa Bay's Week 3 loss to the New York Giants, when Evans caught eight passes for 190 yards and three scores.
Otherwise, the two-time Pro Bowler has mostly been held in check through the first five games of the season, something that obviously has to change if the Bucs want to have any chance of making the playoffs.
Evans is coming off of a 2018 campaign in which he hauled in 86 receptions for 1,524 yards and eight touchdowns.
Follow Us
Subscribe