Buccaneers WR Mike Evans dominates battles vs. these cornerbacks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans owns these cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus.
Sep 18, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA;  New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) and safety Marcus Maye (6) get into a penalty with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) and they are ejected after the play during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Sep 18, 2022; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) and safety Marcus Maye (6) get into a penalty with Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) and they are ejected after the play during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
In this story:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans has been the model of consistency over his 11-year NFL career. Since arriving in Tampa Bay out of Texas A&M, Evans has only put up 1,000-yard seasons, tying him with the great Jerry Rice for such consecutive years.

Evans has performed well as the WR1 for the Bucs, but has had the pressure off him somewhat ever since Chris Godwin joined the team as his running mate. Godwin's arrival didn't take away from Evans' production, and he remains one of the most underrated and underappreciated stars in the league.

Evans' dominance isn't just limited to a few teams or players throughout his career. However, Pro Football Focus took it upon themselves to identify recent one-sided matchups in the league, and Evans (not so surprisingly) claimed two spots.

READ MORE: Antoine Winfield Jr. must bounce back for Buccaneers

Evans vs. CJ Henderson

Mike Evan
Jan 1, 2023; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback CJ Henderson (24) breaks up a pass to Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"One of the best games of Evans’ career came in a division-clinching victory over the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 of the 2022 season. Evans caught 10 of 12 targets for 207 yards and three touchdowns, earning an elite 90.3 PFF game grade," writer Ryan Smith wrote. "Most of Evans’ damage came against cornerback CJ Henderson, who had an outing to forget (36.6). With Henderson in primary coverage, Evans caught seven of nine targets for 125 yards and two touchdowns for a perfect 158.3 passer rating."

Evans' ownership over Henderson might not be as highly touted as the next matchup on the list, but it goes without saying that he has been extremely efficient against him. Henderson might not have seen much action against Evans, but when he did, he didn't stand much of a chance against the drastically bigger wideout.

Henderson didn't play a single snap for any team in 2024, so the days of dominance by Evans seem to be over when discussing this matchup.

READ MORE: Buccaneers third-year linebacker ready to make presence known

Evans vs. Marshon Lattimore

Mike Evan
Jan 12, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) is tackled by Washington Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore (23) during the second quarter of a NFC wild card playoff at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

"Evans versus Lattimore has been one of the most publicized battles in the league for years now, as the two clashed many times as NFC South rivals. Their rivalry was renewed last year in the wild-card round after the Washington Commanders acquired Lattimore from the New Orleans Saints late in the season," Smith said of Evans against Lattimore. "Evans dominated that matchup, catching all six targets thrown his way for 84 yards and a touchdown (158.3 passer rating). Evans (91.8 PFF game grade) gave Lattimore (26.5) fits all night, also drawing a defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone before his touchdown just one play later."

This is the one we all wanted to see. There is no doubt in anyone's minds that this would make the list. The hatred that exists between the Saints and Bucs carried over to Evans and Lattimore. There were multiple instances of scrums (fights) between the two during Lattimore's battles with Evans while in New Orleans.

While the two dueled it out in New Orleans, Evans' dominance over him didn't flourish until last season after Lattimore was traded to the Commanders. Evans might have gotten the best of Lattimore in their matchup a season ago, but it's worth noting that the latter was less than 100% due to injury.

Most of us would love to see this rivalry continue, but the matchups will be few and far between now that Lattimore is no longer in New Orleans, likely taming the rivalry now that they no longer see each other twice a year.


READ MORE: Buccaneers star playmakers endorse new OC Josh Grizzard

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2025 offseason.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Former Buccaneers star Antonio Brown wanted for attempted murder

• Bucs star Chris Godwin named most underrated WR in NFL

• Buccaneers rookie gets real about Baker Mayfield

• What are the best, worst-case scenarios for the Buccaneers in 2025?


Published
Caleb Skinner
CALEB SKINNER

Caleb is from Nashville, TN and graduated from Florida State University in 2018 with majors in Sociology and History. He has previously written for an FSU outlet and started covering the Buccaneers in March of 2022. Caleb is an avid sports fan and former host of the Tribeoholics podcast. You can follow Caleb on Twitter @chsnole