Buccaneers
Buccaneers WR Mike Evans is continuing to chase Hall of Fame WR Jerry Rice‘s record of 11 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards. He was hampered by a hamstring issue earlier in the season but boomed in Week 15 with 159 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Evans is now back on track to break the record, needing slightly less than 84 yards per game in the last three games to reach the goal. Regardless, Buccaneers HC Todd Bowles and QB Baker Mayfield have no problem already referring to Evans as a Hall of Famer.
“I think he’s a guaranteed Hall of Famer,” Bowles said of Evans, via NFL.com. “He steps up and plays big. You can’t put a price on what he does for this team from a mental standpoint, from a physical standpoint and from a team standpoint. He is everything that a player aspires to be from a mental aspect. He’s tough. He does great in the community. He takes care of his body. He comes up big with plays, whether they’re singling him or doubling him, and he blocks. We can’t ask for anything more than what he is giving us right now.”
“I mean, obviously Mike’s always had the game-changing ability within each play, but I mean the scramble play where he works all the way across the field, he’s the outside receiver on the right side, works all the way across, just trying to keep my eyes downfield and he’s always working,” Mayfield added. “He makes that play, obviously he makes the catch, but then after the catch is the big difference there. He just keeps going. He just keeps going.”
- Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey was fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness (late hit), and RB Rachaad White was fined $45,020 for unnecessary roughness (use of the helmet) in Week 14.
Panthers
After a few wins and close losses to playoff teams, the Panthers came down to Earth in Week 15 with just 12 points against the Cowboys. Carolina HC Dave Canales discussed how they have to be better after committing a turnover that kills a promising drive.
“When you have a successful drive ending in a turnover, the challenge is you’ve gotta snap back and say, ‘OK, these are the things that led to the success that drive. Can we just return to it?'” Canales said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic. “And we weren’t able to return to it in the course of the first half.”
Panthers QB Bryce Young took the blame for their offensive struggles on Sunday and knows he has to be better.
“I’ve just got to look in the mirror,” Young said. “Can’t turn the ball over like that in this league, and that’s a hundred percent on me. I’ve got to be better. I let the team down today.”
Carolina RB Chuba Hubbard came to Young’s support after the game by citing his last handful of performances.
“One game doesn’t define you. He’s played great over the last how many weeks,” Hubbard said. “Mistakes are gonna be made. It’s the NFL. It’s not easy. Obviously, people may think you’re supposed to be your best every single week. We all try our best and sometimes it just doesn’t work in our favor. And today it didn’t.”
- Panthers OL Ikem Ekwonu was fined $16,883 for unnecessary roughness (blindside block), and LB Josey Jewell was fined $11,255 for unnecessary roughness (facemask) in Week 14.
Saints
- According to the Athletic’s Jeff Howe, one of either the Bears, Jets or Saints had already ruled out the idea of interviewing Belichick, and sources from a few other teams with potential vacancies didn’t think there would be enough momentum in their building to hire him.
- “(Belichick) burned a lot of bridges over his career,” a high-ranking team executive told Howe. Another longtime executive from a team involved in last year’s hiring cycle said, “There might be some owners who want (Belichick’s) structure and stability, but he is 72. I think a lot of teams want to build something long-term, and he clearly has a capped timeline.”
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