Baker Mayfield didn’t mention the New Orleans Saints or Marshon Lattimore directly, but he’s obviously circled the calendar for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ regular season finale — and what it could mean for Mike Evans. If Evans totals at least 85 yards against the Saints on Sunday, he’ll extend his streak of seasons with 1,000 or more receiving yards to all 11 years he’s been in the NFL.
“Obviously Mike’s a huge part of this offense and the record is pretty important for us to get,” Mayfield told reporters after Week 17’s win over the Carolina Panthers. Correcting himself, he continued, “For him to achieve it but for us to make sure it happens. Having it right there in front of us and not having to force things. Obviously when he’s in the game, he’s a huge part of that and he creates the explosive plays in the passing game. Looking forward to seeing what happens next week.”
It’s no accident Mayfield is so eager when he knows Lattimore won’t be there to shut down his favorite receiver. Evans has averaged just 49.7 yards per game against the Saints across 20 matchups, largely thanks to Lattimore’s tight coverage and skill at making plays on the ball. For context, just three teams have held Evans to a lower pace, and they’ve played him a combined eight times (Green Bay Packers four times, Denver Broncos three times, and the New York Jets once).
But the Saints don’t have Lattimore now. They traded him at November’s NFL deadline and have since fielded one of the league’s worst secondaries with 240 passing yards allowed each week and just two interceptions in their last seven games. Granted, Lattimore has been sidelined for most of that time on his new Washington Commanders team with a chronic hamstring injury, but the point is the Saints are vulnerable.
And you can bet Mayfield and Evans plan to take advantage of that. It’ll be on Alontae Taylor, Kool-Aid McKinstry, and their teammates to ruin the Bucs’ day. Hopefully they’re up to the task.
[lawrence-auto-related count=5]