Mike Evans had high praise for Baker Mayfield after the duo’s outstanding outing against the Philadelphia Eagles.
In a rematch of the 2023 NFC Wild Card Round, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made short work of the Eagles, defeating Philadelphia 33-16. Mayfield had another stellar game, completing 30 of 47 pass attempts for 347 yards to go along with two touchdowns.
What’s more, the 29-year-old showed off his versatility, notching 10 rushing yards on four carries, and scoring a touchdown in the process. Overall, Mayfield finished with 357 total yards with three touchdowns as he showed off his all-around effectiveness, which Evans noted in his postgame interview.
“He’s extremely difficult to defend,” Evans surmised. “He’s one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the game right now. He keeps plays alive – he’s the ultimate competitor.”
Mayfield’s competitiveness was on full display as he outdueled Eagles star quarterback Jalen Hurts, who finished the game with 158 yards, completing 18 of his 30 pass attempts with his one touchdown. Hurts also accumulated 20 rushing yards on eight carries with one touchdown as well.
After the matchup, Mayfield explained how his performance against the Eagles was simply him trying to forget his outing against the Denver Broncos the week prior. “Wanted to get [previous week’s] taste out of our mouth, for sure,” the star quarterback said, per ESPN.
Mike Evans and Baker Mayfield have built a rapport since the latter arrived in Tampa Bay last season (
Photo by Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
“Started fast because the guys were just locked in. We came out with a hair-on-fire mentality. Everybody was locked in on what the plan was and we executed. That needs to be the case every week. That’s how we need to start.”
Evans, for his part, finished with 94 yards on eight receptions with one touchdown. In doing so, the star receiver surpassed Martin Gramatica (592) into first place on Tampa Bay’s scoring list with 596.
With Evans’ ability in Tampa Bay’s system, Mayfield made it a point to make sure the 31-year-old was featured heavily in the Buccaneers offensive schemes. Speaking to reporters last week, the signal caller explained the importance of having Evans as the main target this season.
