1 week Ago By Rick Stroud
By Rick Stroud Tampa Bay Times TAMPA — A hamstring injury limited Mike Evans to only 57% of the offensive snaps in the Bucs’ 51-27 win last Sunday at New Orleans. The Pro Bowl receiver finished with only two receptions for 34 yards, both on the opening drive. Evans on Saturday practiced for the first time this week.
He will be listed as questionable for Monday night’s game against the Ravens, though the Bucs seemed confident he would play. Evans has 25 receptions this season for 310 yards and five touchdowns, tying teammate Chris Godwin and others for the most in the NFL. At this pace, Evans would finish with 878 receiving yards and snap his streak of 10 straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons to start his career, an NFL record.
Jerry Rice holds the NFL record for consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons with 11. Center Graham Barton, who missed the Saints game with a hamstring injury, continued to practice and is expected to start. “He did some things that were encouraging,” coach Todd Bowles said.
”We‘ll see how the next two days go, and we’ll see how he feels.” Receiver Trey Palmer, who missed the last two games with a concussion, is expected to play. “Trey will be good,” Bowles said.
The only players that are ruled out are cornerback Jamel Dean (hamstring), tight end Payne Durham (calf) and receiver Kameron Johnson (ankle). The Bucs desperately need a No. 3 receiver to develop quickly, a playmaker to beat man-to-man pressure and take the heat off Evans and Godwin.
The past two weeks, the Z receiver — who typically lines up behind the line of scrimmage and often is sent in motion — has been veteran Sterling Shepard. But at New Orleans, Shepard committed as many penalties (three) as he had receptions (for 23 yards). Third-round pick Jalen McMillan was supposed to be the player to give Baker Mayfield a legitimate deep threat and third option at the Z position.
But McMillan missed games against the Eagles and Falcons with a hamstring injury. He returned for the Saints game but had no catches. In fact, Mayfield targeted McMillan only once — in the second quarter on a choice route.
The pass was thrown well, but McMillan failed to catch it and the deflection off his shoulder pads resulted in an interception. Not surprisingly, he was not targeted again. The Ravens will have a good defensive plan for Evans and Godwin.
McMillan had a dazzling training camp and preseason but has made just three catches for 59 yards and a touchdown during the regular season. Offensive coordinator Liam Coen said a third receiver emerging is “critical” this week. “We need that Z position to be trusted upon to come in and execute,” Coen said.
“I love ‘Shep.’ A couple of those [penalties] were a little iffy, but his energy, the way he is in the huddle, in the locker room, pregame, on the sidelines. .
.. I love being around him.
But we do need some more production out of that position. “We also need to trust that position in order to throw them the ball and stuff. You saw Ryan Miller get involved and have a huge catch on a critical situation where things weren’t looking so hot, and he catches a flat route on the sideline [for 39] yards or whatever it was.
That’s a big play, so that’s a player stepping up in which we’re going to continue to need especially in such an early part of the season.” The Bucs were tied for second in the NFL in scoring at 29.7 points per game.
The fact that they’ve done it with little production from a tight end or No. 3 receiver is remarkable. Remember Tom Brady’s first season in Tampa Bay? The offense really took off after receiver Antonio Brown joined the team following an eight-game suspension.
McMillan, or someone, needs to step up. Hopes and prayers This stat bears repeating because it’s so incredible it doesn’t seem real: Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has a 22-1 career record vs. the NFC.
In 2022, he lost 24-20 to the Giants. While it’s true NFC teams don’t see Jackson as often, that doesn’t explain the dominance. But the two-time MVP is a problem for every team.
So how do you stop him? “First, you’ve got to pray. You’ve just got to pray,” Bucs co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote said. “You’ve got to hope, and you’ve got to wish.
It’s going to take a group effort, even the [safeties]. Everybody is going to have to be responsible for him. “At the end of the day, when he drops back and decides to run, it’s going to be a challenge.
When he does get tackled, it’s a shoe-string tackle. That’s when the prayers are going to be needed. We’ve got a nice plan for him, but .
.. we’re at his mercy at times.
We’ve just got to do a good job. We can’t let him kill us.” Adding Pro Bowl running back Derrick Henry to the Baltimore backfield has made Jackson more dangerous.
Jackson ranks seventh in the NFL in passing yards (1,529) and is tied for fifth with 10 TD passes. “He’s developed into a great passer,” Foote said. “You understand why he’s won multiple MVPs.
When he is running the ball, he has running back vision. That’s what makes it tough. He’s slippery, and everybody knows how fast he is.
It’s going to be a collective effort to try and slow him down.” Rookie of the year? Bucs defensive back Tykee Smith is sewing up votes for the NFL’s All-Rookie team. But at this pace, he may garner consideration for the league’s Defensive Rookie of the Year, too.
The former Georgia star is impacting games at every level. Against the Saints, he had an interception and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown by safety Antoine Winfield Jr. Bowles uses Smith at nickel, safety and even linebacker if needed.
Pro Football Focus ranks him eighth among rookies regardless of position (76.1) and second in run defense (83.6).
“He probably gets the most veteran treatment out of all the rookies because he doesn’t make as many mistakes as everybody else,” Bowles said. ”..
. He played an outstanding game. He covered well.
He tackled well. He blitzed well. He played zone well.
He punched the ball out. He got an interception. [His] all-around play all year has been outstanding for him.
“We kind of take it for granted that he’s a cornerback because he’s an edge-setter as well. He plays safety for us, he plays ‘backer, and to do that as a rookie coming in in that spot — ‘Izzy’ [Christian Izien] did it last year. Tykee is probably a little ahead of him in that space where he is at this time this year.
He’s a heck of a football player for us.”.
