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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
TAMPA, Fla. – The Buccaneers offense had ground to a halt, managing two first downs in its last five drives, and the slump was bad enough that Carolina — one-win Carolina, with the worst record in the NFL — had scored to take a 10-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
On the very next play, Mike Evans woke up the offense, the Bucs and their stadium, gaining 75 yards for the longest touchdown of his career, sparking Tampa Bay to a 21-18 win over Carolina and getting the Bucs out of a freefall that had seen them lose six times in seven games.
Evans caught a pass from Baker Mayfield in stride at his 44-yard line and sped down the field, and as Panthers corner C.J. Henderson pushed at him, he leaped from the 4-yard line, extending the ball over the pylon as he flew over the corner of the end zone.
“Baker threw an unbelievable ball,” the 30-year-old Evans explained. “It’s a play we worked on in practice a lot. I got my steps right. I wasn’t short on my route, and it worked. He hit me in stride, and I was able to beat the defense to the end zone.”
Officials initially ruled him out at the 1-yard line, but Evans even told a nearby official: “That’s a touchdown, baby!” The Bucs challenged the ruling, and in the time it took a tired Evans to throw up on the sidelines, the call was reversed to a 75-yard touchdown. The crowd, already loud from the play, celebrated even louder.
“It was huge,” Evans said. “You felt it on the sideline. The crowd erupted. It was huge for us.”
The Bucs are now 5-7, but playing in the NFC South, they’re just a game behind the first-place Falcons, and they’ll go to Atlanta next weekend, knowing if they beat the Falcons, they’ll be tied for the division lead with four games to play, holding the tiebreaker on Atlanta.
Evans has been the best part of a struggling Bucs team, and his next catch after the touchdown extended an NFL record that’s been a testament to his…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/mike-evans-75-yard-touchdown-sparks-bucs-to-21-18-win-over-panthers
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Publish date : 2023-12-04 02:57:34
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