'Find A Way!' Atlanta Falcons Coaches Praise Tampa Bay Buccaneers Receiver Mike Evans

Atlanta Falcons coaches Arthur Smith and Jerry Gray spoke about the challenges that come with stopping Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans ahead of Week 14.

Generally speaking, if a player gets called a Hall of Famer during a postgame interview, whether it be by a sideline reporter or an excited teammate, they should probably be the focus of their opponents’ preparation.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans was the best player on the field in Week 13 when he went off for seven catches, 162 yards, and a score to narrowly beat the Carolina Panthers. The 21-18 win keeps the Buccaneers (5-7) within a game of first place in the NFC South.

On Sunday, they’ll get a chance to even things up atop the division when they visit the 6-6 Atlanta Falcons. Evans will undoubtedly be a big part of their plans. Of course, Atlanta doesn’t take too kindly to that idea.

Buccaneers WR Mike Evans hauls in a catch between two Falcons defenders / USA Today Sports

Falcons assistant head coach Jerry Gray spoke about Evans before their Week 14 contest.

“The biggest thing we’ve got to do is we’ve got to make sure we’ve got eyes on him,” Gray said. “He’s a good receiver. We’ve got to make sure we keep the top on top of him and not let him get behind us. I know we did it a couple of times in the first game, but we’ve got to be more attentive and understanding who he is and what he’s about.”

On Sunday, Evans hit the 1,000-yard marker for the 10th time in his career. He’s done so in every single season of his career. That, unsurprisingly, is the longest streak to start a career in NFL history. Evans has done that with essentially two seasons' worth of quality quarterback play.

He’s up to 61 catches, 1,012 yards, and 10 touchdowns this season.

The last time he went up against Atlanta, he made his presence felt. He caught six passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. However, the Falcons survived, 16-13, in a divisional game that could loom large down the home stretch.

The second time around, Atlanta is focused on protecting itself from downfield shots and chunk gains, whether it be in the form of an Evans jump ball, a coverage breakdown, or defensive pass interference.

Falcons head coach Arthur Smith offered what the Atlanta faithful may consider a bleak truth.

"He’s been a dominant player in this league and has been very consistent for a long time," Smith said. "Mike is certainly a guy that’s consistently been a great player in this league. We have our plan. I’m sure they have one too. Doesn’t matter who’s out there. We have to find a way to go win.”

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Despite ranking fourth in dropback success rate as a defense, the Falcons are 19th in expected points added per dropback, signaling that explosive plays have been a consistent issue. Simply put, containing Evans is of the utmost importance.

Tampa doesn’t run the ball well and quarterback Baker Mayfield is still turnover-prone, even with his modest improvements this season. Keeping a cap on the explosives and an errant bounce – or throw – is bound to give Atlanta a chance.