It didn’t take Tom Brady long to match the number of touchdowns he had last week in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints. He did it with the help of Mike Evans, a receiver he targeted just once in their season opener. 

Brady connected with wide receiver Mike Evans on a 23-yard touchdown pass to give Tampa Bay an early 14-0 lead over the Carolina Panthers with 4-38 left in the first quarter. The Buccaneers got their second score of the game after running back Ronald Jones earlier found the end zone after a seven-yard run to get their offense going early.

The 43-year old quarterback is looking to improve on a Week 1 performance that saw him make just 23 of 46 attempted passes and throw two interceptions, including a pick six, in a 34-23 loss to the Saints. Against New Orleans, Evans was just targeted just once, and scored a two-yard touchdown for the Buccaneers in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, with the game’s outcome already decided. 

But against the Panthers, the 27-year old Evans got involved in the offense early, and the result is Brady’s first touchdown pass in his home debut for the Buccaneers at the Raymond James Stadium. Evans, a three-time Pro Bowler, missed most of the team’s practices before the game against the Saints because of a hamstring injury, but still played for the team.

Despite admitting that he is still not at 100% heading into Week 2, it seems like he is looking more than his old self, which is welcome news for a Buccaneers offense that has found its groove against Carolina.

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