There might not have been a more poetic way to wrap up the regular season for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than what we saw on Sunday afternoon. After an absolutely brutal first half that nearly zapped all of the juice out of what was at stake, the Bucs came roaring back to beat the Saints 27-19, clinch a fourth straight NFC South title, and punch a ticket to the playoffs as the No. 3 seed.
It was a roller coaster that ended up turning out alright, which is how the ebbs and flows of this season have felt like. A 3-1 start was followed by a four-game losing streak that was chased by the Bucs, finishing the season 6-1 and scoring an average of 31.8 points per game down the home stretch.
Sunday's win over the Saints encompassed all of that topsy-turvy nature, but it was polished off with a reminder of how special this team can be. It wasn't that the Bucs won, it was the puncuation of getting Mike Evans over 1,000 yards for the 11th straight season that has everyone still buzzing.
Rather than take a knee to run out the clock on a win, the Bucs risked a potential disaster to throw the ball to Evans on one final play to get him the yards he needed to keep his historic streak alive. It was a magical moment, with fans going crazy, Evans' teammates losing their minds, and the man himself showing the sort of fiery emotion that has made him beloved in Tampa Bay.
Kevin Burkhardt had a fantastic call of the moment, and having Tom Brady in the booth to witness it made things even more special. However, it's hard to beat the local flare of Gene Deckerhoff narrating one of the greatest moments in franchise history.
Listen to Buccaneers radio call of epic moment Mike Evans' reached 1,000 yards for an 11th season
The legendary Deckerhoff was on the call for Buccaneers Radio Network and, as he always does, somehow made the moment sound as sweet as it looked.
Gene Deckerhoff calls Baker Mayfield's pass to Mike Evans who clears 1,000 receiving yards on the last play of the game pic.twitter.com/Xc8d9OG8EV
— Bucs Rays Bolts (@BucsRaysBoltsYT) January 5, 2025
It's hard to overstate just how meaningful that moment was to everyone, and what it could mean moving forward. Evans could have left in free agency last season but made the last-minute decision to sign an extension before the tampering window opened.
He lost three games this year to a hamstring injury that put his streak in jeopardy, but was rewarded by the support of his coaches and teammates. Baker Mayfield said after the game that the only discussion on the sideline after getting the ball back was how to get it to Evans, not whether or not they should try.
Everyone was invested in this for Evans, and it says a lot about how much he means to the team. The reaction from players was amazing and very well could install the right vibes at the right time as the Bucs march into the playoffs next weekend.
At the very least, this will go down as an all-time moment. The Bucs winning a fourth straight division title and setting a new franchise record for consecutive trips to the playoffs was dwarfed by a 9 yard pass that meant more than words can justify.
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