Bucs wideout Mike Evans topped Big Blue's Odell Beckham on Sunday in receiving yards and targets, but blamed himself this week for a rash of drops that helped bury Tampa in a 32-18 loss to the Giants.
"I proclaim myself to be one of the best receivers in the game and I'm not showing it," Evans said, per SportsTalkFlorida.com. "I've got to be better for this team, I've gotta put in the work and I'm gonna come back."
It's not often that a young wideout hauls in 152 yards only to face a steady stream of criticism, but Evans caught just eight of his game-leading 19 targets.
After eight games, the second-year playmaker owns the second-highest drop rate in the league at 17.9 percent.
He's correct to point out that his production -- three outings of 100-plus yards -- remains tantalizing, but the big-bodied Evans was responsible for five drops Sunday and leads the NFL with 10 dropped balls, landing him on Pro Football Focus' "Worst Players at Every Position" list for Week 9. Still, he's not the only young receiver to struggle:
Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston also made PFF's "Worst Players" list after completing just half of his passes against New York. That charts directly back to Evans, but we still believe that Tampa's toyed-with fan base has plenty to be hopeful about.
Even with the gaffes, Evans has proven that his speed and size lead to big plays on a weekly basis. The consistency must come next, but the combination of Winston and Evans have made the Bucs interesting again -- something very few humans expected.