Mike Evans turned in one of the most explosive performances of the 2022 season on Sunday, and the NFL took notice.
On Wednesday, Evans was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in honor of his 10-catch, 207-yard, three-touchdown eruption against the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. He is the only player this season to record 200-plus receiving yards and three touchdowns in a single contest.
Evans' contributions were critical to a comeback victory that saw the Tampa Bay Buccaneers rally from 14 and 11-point deficits to beat the Panthers, 30-24. In the process, the Buccaneers clinched the NFC South and won back-to-back division titles for the first time in NFL history.
This is Evans' second Player of the Week award but his first since his 2014 rookie season. He is the first Tampa Bay player to win the award on offense since running back Leonard Fournette took it in Week 12 of last season for his four-touchdown outing against the Indianapolis Colts. Evans is the third Buccaneer to take home a Player of the Week award in 2022; punter Jake Camarda won it on special teams in Week Nine and inside linebacker Devin White won it on defense in Week 10.
Evans' three touchdowns covered a total of 150 yards, and all came on go routes down the right sideline. His 63-yard score in the second quarter cut a 14-0 deficit in half and his 57-yarder in the fourth quarter once again drew the Bucs within one score, at 21-16. He followed that with a 30-yard touchdown later in the final period that gave the Buccaneers their first lead, and one they would not relinquish.
Evans recorded the fourth-highest receiving yardage total in franchise history and nearly matched his own career high of 209 yards. It was also the third three-touchdown game of his career, accounting for half of the games in franchise history in which a player has hauled in three or more receiving scores. In Week 17, he led all NFL players in receiving yards, yards from scrimmage, touchdown receptions and total touchdowns. His 10 receptions were the second most by any player in Week 17.
Evans also reached an impressive milestone during his outsized performance. His 63-yard touchdown in the second quarter pushed his season total over 1,000 receiving yards, extending his NFL record to nine such seasons to open a player's career. That streak of nine 1,000-yard receiving campaigns also ties Hall of Famer Tim Brown for the second longest in league annals for a player at any point in his career. Only Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, with 11, had a longer streak.
