Aggies in the NFL: Evans shines in late loss to rookie Jones and Giants

Mike Evans struggled early, but became a star once more on Sunday.

COLLEGE STATION - Texas A&M suffered their second loss of the season this past weekend against Auburn. While the 2-2 Aggies will hopefully rebound against Arkansas, attention turned to the NFL Sunday to see former players shine. 

Since drafted out of A&M in 2014, Mike Evans has transformed himself into one of the league's go-to targets. With five consecutive 1,000-plus receiving seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have one of football's premier players at the wide receiver position. 

Mike Evans knew he was open from the jump 🔥🔥 @MikeEvans13_ pic.twitter.com/ByaIboSwvY

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 22, 2019

But things looked bleak early for the former Aggie. In two games, Evan finished with six catches for 89 yards and had yet to score a touchdown. On Sunday against the New Giants, he showed the league what he could do when given the opportunity. 

Evans was one of the many bright spots for the Bucs' offense, leading the way with 8 catches for 190 yards and scoring three touchdowns in the first half of play. Winning consistently against Janoris Jenkins, the 26-year-old led the charge to an early lead, making Tampa's offense shine down south. 

Despite the team's 32-31 loss, Evans is looking like his former self after Sunday's action. For the season, he's collected 14 catches for 279 yards and three touchdowns. Defenses should fear him moving forward thanks to his size, speed and ability to win in man coverage. 

Mike Evans has three touchdowns. It's still the first half. That is all. @MikeEvans13_ pic.twitter.com/Wa2NdFkieC

— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) September 22, 2019

Let's take a look around the league and see how the other Aggies performed.

Cleveland Browns DE Myles Garrett: Making his primetime debut, the former No.1 pick was a bright spot for the Browns defense. Garrett finished with h a solo tackle, an assist, a sack and a forced fumble. He currently is second in sacks with six on the season. 

Myles Garrett, great when he’s not getting penalties or costing himself money.

( 🎥 @NFL) pic.twitter.com/JYLkwGmemq

— oddschecker (@oddscheckerUS) September 23, 2019

Denver Broncos LB Von Miller: The former MVP defender has been off to a slow start this year. Miller finished with three solo tackles in the loss to Green Bay. Through three games, the Broncos have yet to record a sack as a team. 

Arizona Cardinals WR Christian Kirk: A week after his jaw dropping performance, Kirk shined once more for the Cardinals' offense. The second-year pro finished with 10 receptions for 59 yards in the team's loss.

New England Patriots DE Michael Bennett: As a member of the NFL's top defense, Bennett looked strong against the run. The newest Patriot finished with two solo tackles and a sack in the team's 30-14 win over the New York Jets. 

Atlanta Falcons OT Jake Matthews: Matthews started at left tackle in the team's nail biter loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Helping in the passing game, Matt Ryan threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns. Matthews was not charged with any holding calls. 

New Orleans Saints OC Erik McCoy: Even without Drew Brees, the Saints pulled off a victory against Seattle thanks to the offensive line. McCoy started at center and helped the team finish with 265 total yards of offense.

Seattle Seahawks OL Germain Ifedi: Ifedi started at right tackle and helped the team finish with 515 total yards of offense. Thanks to limited pressure, Russell Wilson has yet to throw an interception this season. 

Los Angeles Rams WR Josh Reynolds: The team's fourth-target, Reynold was active and did see substantial action. The third-year pro targeted twice but did not have a catch. He's still waiting for his first big play of the season. 

Jacksonville Jaguars PK Josh Lambo: The Jaguars picked up their first win of the season against the Tennessee Titans. Lambo would go 2-for-2 on field goals, hitting from 40 and 48 yards. He also was perfect in PATs. 

Cincinnati Bengals PK Randy Bullock: Bullock only had field goal try, but he nailed it down the middle. On top of hitting a 43-yard field goal, he was 2-for-2 on PAT's. 

Cleveland Browns WR Damion Ratley: Ratley was in the starting lineup for the suspended Antonio Callaway and finished with three catches for 26 yards. For the season, the former Aggie has seven receptions for 93 yards. 

Washington Redskins S Deshazor Everett: Predominately on special teams, Everett finished with one solo tackle in the team's Monday night loss to the Chicago Bears.

Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill: Once again, Tannehill served as Marcus Mariota's backup in the team's loss to Jacksonville. Rumor is he could have a chance to start in the coming weeks should the former Heisman Trophy winner struggle. 

Green Bay Packers DT Kingsley Keke: The Aggie rookie was on the active list for the first time this season. Keke finished with one assisted tackle in the win over Denver. 

Detroit Lions LS Don Malbauch: Muhlbach is in his 16 season as the team’s deep snapper. He was active on punts, field goals and PATs. 

Jacksonville Jaguars OT Cedric Ogbuehi: Ogbuehi returned from a hamstring injury and was active for the first time this year. The former first-rounder split snaps with Cam Robinson at left tackle and helped the Jaguars pick up the victory. 

Cleveland Browns TE Ricky Seals-Jones: Active for the injured David Njoku, Seals-Jones made one catch for a 16-yard gain in the team's loss to Los Angeles.  

Note: Philadelphia's Daeshon Hall, Cincinnati's Trayveon Williams and Keaton Sutherland, Dallas' Donovan Wilson, Kansas City's Armani Watts, Houston's Cullen Gillaspia and New England's Jermaine Eluemunor were all active but did not play or record a stat. 

Note: Baltimore's Otaro Alaka and Dalyon Mack were both inactive as healthy scratches. 

Note: Tampa Bay's Justin Evans and Green Bay's Jace Sterberger are both on the injured reserve until Week 8 of the regular season.